2022-HGBF-Annual-Report-Annual-Report.pdf

Annual-Report

1. THE HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
2022 ANNUAL REPORT

2. Page 3Page 3
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Page 1Page 1
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Page 17Page 17
FINANCIALS
Page 27Page 27
FOOD SECURITY
Page 45Page 45
CONFLICT MITIGATION
Page 55Page 55
COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Page 61Page 61
PUBLIC SAFETY
Page 69Page 69
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Page 75Page 75
SHOWING UP

4. Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO
Ann Kelly Bolten, President
Trisha Cook, Secretary
Devon G. Buffett
Heidi Heitkamp
Michael D. Walter
Erin Morgan
TRUSTEES
Established in 1999, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation’s primary mission is to catalyze
transformational change, particularly for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized
populations. We see the Foundation’s resources as rare risk capital that can be
deployed to improve conditions and create change in the most difficult circumstances
and geographies. We invest our funding in four main areas:
• Food Security
• Conflict Mitigation
• Combatting Human Trafficking
• Public Safety
Our support for global food security is primarily directed toward agricultural resource
development and management for smallholder farmers in the developing world. We
support a range of investments, including research, conservation-based production
practices, water resource management and education to promote the ideas that will
have the broadest impact on the most vulnerable and under-resourced farmers. In
the United States, we raise awareness about the critical role American farmers play
in meeting the world’s growing demands for food while promoting better production
practices that sustain and revitalize our natural resources.
Conflict and citizen insecurity are key barriers to achieving global food security and
economic prosperity. We seek out investments to mitigate conflict and improve citizen
security in two ways: by working to end or improve the conditions that fuel violence
and conflict; and by supporting communities that have been affected by violence or
conflict. We consider the pervasive gang-related violence affecting communities in
Central America to be a form of conflict and make targeted investments to mitigate
these circumstances.
Our initiative to combat human trafficking in the United States builds capacity and
amplifies the efforts of law enforcement, prosecutors and victim service providers in
targeted communities to disrupt human traffickers, dismantle their networks and bring
justice to victims of human trafficking.
Public safety is the primary focus of our community-based grantmaking in the United
States where we have operations and employees. We partner with local sheriffs’ offices
to identify and address key community public safety concerns; invest in initiatives to
improve policing and police training; and we support volunteer fire departments in rural
communities where resources are scarce.
The Foundation provides other support to the communities where we have operations
and employees, and we continue to make smaller investments in areas where we
have historical knowledge and relationships, including cheetah and mountain gorilla
conservation.
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, and we typically do not provide
general operating support. December 31, 2045 is the final dissolution date of the
Foundation’s assets.

5. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 2

6. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 3
Left: Howard stands in Sophiivska Square, Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1991. This square is located three blocks from the
larger square featured here, present day.
My first trip to Ukraine was in February of 1991–six months before the Ukrainian
Parliament voted on August 24th to separate from Russia and declare its independence.
Following the Parliament’s actions, in December of 1991, 90 percent of the 84 percent
of eligible Ukrainians who voted chose independence.

7. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 4
Opposite page: Traveling through the country of Georgia in 2009, we visited farmers who had lost their farm
ground when Russia invaded the prior year. We also met the few remaining people in the area who stayed living in
the remains of their homes after the conflict ended. The woman in this photo had very little food, mostly potatoes, but
she shared a few peaches with us when we visited. The top right photo is her backyard, which served as her kitchen,
eating area, laundry and bathroom.
Top left: I regularly took photos of farm equipment during my visits with farmers in Ukraine in 1991. The
condition of the equipment seemed to represent the entire system: broken and inefficient. Top right: A photo of the
inside of a typical collective farmhouse in 1991.
Despite growing up in Nebraska, I was not prepared for the bitter cold of Ukraine. We
first landed in Moscow and then continued on to Kyiv (Kiev). The purpose of the trip was
to meet with government officials and farmers to discuss how private farming functioned
in the United States. I asked the farmers to show me some of their equipment. The
equipment confirmed for me how the collective farming system was working, which was
not very well.
I remember there were no McDonalds’ restaurants, and it was not easy to find a Coca-
Cola. The streets were almost like a ghost town in the evenings, completely different
from today’s (pre-war) crowds. When we were getting ready to return to Moscow, we
were delayed at the airport because they were removing seats from the Aeroflot plane to
load chickens onto the flight. It was not the most pleasant flight back to Moscow.
Thirty years later, I returned to Ukraine under very different circumstances. The cover
photo of this report is School Number 17 in Irpin, Ukraine, less than an hour’s drive from
Kyiv. The school was hit by Russian missiles in March of 2022. At the time, it was one of
57 schools that had been destroyed or damaged by Russian artillery, as independently
verified by the Associated Press. As of today, at least 810 educational institutions have
been destroyed, and over 1,640 damaged. I was visiting the school when the nonprofit
organization World Central Kitchen was using the cafeteria to feed several hundred
mostly elderly people from the community. The roof had been repaired and unexploded
ordnance were removed, yet the windows still had bullet holes. The young girl peering
through a large hole in the wall made by a Russian missile was a reminder that the war
was still all around us.
 
This particular photo from Ukraine also reminded me of an image I took in Georgia in
2009 on the one-year anniversary of the Russo-Georgian War. The woman in that photo
was living in a makeshift area under a tarp in her home. Russian tanks had shelled her
house, and little was left intact. When we met her, she asked us to wait for a moment.

I remember being puzzled as she quickly walked away. We soon learned there was a
peach tree in her backyard that survived the tank rounds, and she had gone to pick
peaches to share with us. I captured the photo of her returning with the peaches through
the damaged walls. The war lasted 12 days, but it displaced approximately 230,000
people, and some farmers permanently lost their fields due to the Russian occupation.
This war was the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union that the Russian military had
targeted an independent state.
1
In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled
that Russia violated six articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including
ethnic cleansing of Georgian civilians during the 2008 invasion.
1
Our Foundation’s history of working in conflict areas did not start out as a conscious
decision. I have written in the past about my experience in Czechoslovakia, when I was
14 years old during the Soviet occupation. That experience no doubt influenced my
decision to include conflict mitigation as part of our mission.
Our Foundation’s purpose is to focus our funding to address and mitigate the
circumstances affecting the world’s most marginalized and disenfranchised populations.
To do that, we continually find ourselves working in conflict and post-conflict areas. I
have found myself in refugee camps with angry people, under house arrest, detained,
weapons occasionally pointed at me and once in a helicopter struck by a PKM machine
gun round. We have learned the delicate balance between engaging with different sides
while they were each fighting one another.

1 The Russian Bear on the Warpath against George. Kaarel Kass (2009)

8. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 5

9. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 6
Left: A family from Guatemala walks alongside the U.S./Mexico border fence outside San Luis, Arizona. The
Guatemalan Highlands have some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world.
We have also learned that conflict does not always take the form of overt fighting. We
have seen hidden conflicts that drive people to make the decision to leave their homes
and everything they have for an unknown future. The world puts different labels on
them depending on their circumstances: refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),
stateless people and migrants. It is interesting how people react differently to the labels
of refugees and IDPs versus migrants. The obvious signs of conflict that create the labels
of “refugee” and “IDP” make it much easier for outsiders to understand, sympathize and
accept peoples’ movements. The label “migrant” implies a choice to move–yet the people
categorized as such frequently see their movements as their only option for survival.
Immigration is one of the most complicated issues I have ever studied. It involves a
number of dynamics including the impact on children, leaving behind family and personal
assets, the danger in traveling across difficult and dangerous geographies and exposure
to criminal elements. It may appear that displacement from conflict and migration are
very different, but they share some very similar issues. In the first instance, violence takes
everything from a person; in the other instance, violence forces a person to give up
everything. It may even go beyond violence to include extortion, poverty or other factors
that make life extremely difficult and dangerous. In each case, the basic necessities for
survival are removed, diminished or are at serious risk of loss.

Our Foundation has funded projects in over 30 countries that would fall into one of these
two categories. The variations in circumstances are extreme. However, they all share
one common element: people living in fear with a high likelihood of being injured, killed
or losing everything they possess.
I have witnessed and photographed many forms of human suffering all over the world.
Because my mind thinks in terms of photographs, I remember certain images vividly, but
because photographs convey different layers of expression, these are not always the
photos that look the most dramatic. The cover photo is one that communicates many
things at once. The emergency exit sign in the upper left takes on a different meaning with
a cavity in the wall created by a missile only a few feet away. This photo reflects the reality
that children are living in an environment that has completely disrupted their lives. For
many children, school is a place of comfort and security–it is like a second home, where
you meet your friends and where teachers help you grow and learn. When a child sees
his or her school destroyed, it takes a toll. Attacking schools is a way to disrupt an entire
generation and sow fear and doubt among the most innocent within a community. With
little imagination, you can envision what it must feel like to go to bed at night, falling asleep
to the sound of air raid sirens. The disruption and trauma of war can last a lifetime.

10. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 7
In El Salvador, organized gangs control territory, undermine rule of law and prey upon the population, not unlike
rebels operating in other countries. The gangs use fear, extortion and violence to survive. This MS-13 gang member
has his gang affiliation tattooed across his face, which was common when the gangs first gained prominence in the
1990s but less so with today’s members.
In June of 2022 in Bucha, on my second trip to Ukraine since the war started, I met
a 20-year-old woman named Tetiana at a coffee shop. All around us were shelled out
buildings. She shared her experience of when the Russians occupied her town three
months earlier. The first shelling took out the electricity, then the gas, then the water.
When the gas was lost, they started cooking with fires. Most neighbors fled when the
Russian advancement started, but she and her parents made the decision not to leave
their home. Her grandparents lived nearby, and her father did not want to leave them
alone.

The Russians took over multiple apartment buildings; taking all the food and returning
on a regular basis to use the toilets, showers and beds. The residents who stayed were
told by the Russians to wear white so that it was clear who they were, and so they could
easily be identified as residents of the town.
Tetiana’s stories were detailed, but she relayed them in a monotone voice. She described
how the morning of March 24th she and her mother and father were walking down the
street; they were wearing white so they could easily be identified as residents, something
the Russians insisted on. Her mother was walking in front of her, and with no warning,
she saw her mother’s head jolt back. She described the awful details of the impact of a
Russian sniper’s bullet traveling through her mother’s head.
As her mother fell, she and her father also immediately dropped to the ground. She
crawled over to her mother and watched her take her last breath. The Russians detained
her father, placing a sack over his head and tying his hands behind his back before
taking him away. Tetiana was able to run to her grandmother’s house. A few days later
they dropped her father off on a street where some local people helped him find his way
home. The Russians later allowed the family and a neighbor to return to remove her
mother’s body. Tetiana believes that the men who committed these crimes will someday
be brought to justice.
Other than the individual stories, perhaps the most difficult aspect to comprehend in an
environment experiencing conflict is the constant sense of fear and instability created
by the reality that at any time, another missile or rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) could
strike. However, it does not always take a missile strike or a rebel group to force people
from their homes. In certain places in Congo, when people send their daughters to
school or to fetch water, there is a reasonable chance that they will be raped on the
journey. In many states in Mexico, the cartel may control an entire community. In El
Salvador’s city centers, shopkeepers can expect to be threatened with extortion by
gang members and risk being killed if they do not provide payment. In places where we
work in Colombia, the only viable livelihood to feed a family may be to grow coca, the
raw ingredient in cocaine, putting the entire family at risk. These are the situations–the
more hidden conflicts–that lead people to make difficult and undesirable decisions about
leaving their homes and their country.

None of these experiences should ever be considered normal or acceptable. Feeling
unsafe undermines every aspect of life. Yet in Kyiv, Irpin, Bucha and other places I visited
in Ukraine this past year, these threats have become so normal that when air raid sirens
sound, many people continue going about their business. The war in Ukraine is a war on
civilians. The most common “targets” I saw were shopping centers, apartment buildings,
houses, restaurants, churches and schools. It was a very different set of circumstances
than the areas where we typically work. In Congo, civilians can be caught in the fighting;
or in Colombia, civilians may be persecuted in small groups. But seeing blocks of
streets that have no military significance completely destroyed was something I had only
experienced once before, in Bosnia.

11. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 8
Top left and right: When I visited Bosnia in 1999, I was guided through a building where a team was clearing
land mines. Land mines are indiscriminate weapons, often killing or maiming innocent victims, including
children. Tihomir Ostojic, pictured top right, lost the lower half of both his arms from a land mine when he was
playing in an orchard close to his home.
Bottom: The photo I remember most vividly from Bosnia is a soccer field that had been converted into a cemetery.
So many people were killed so quickly that they were buried in any area that was available, including the grass
islands dividing traffic lanes.
Opposite page: The first time I saw wholesale destruction of urban areas from conflict was in 1999 in Bosnia (left).
When I was in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1969, there were many buildings riddled with bullet holes and an
occasional mortar round, but entire blocks of buildings remained intact. In Borodianka, Ukraine (right), multiple
blocks of buildings, including schools, churches, shopping centers, gas stations, apartments and homes have been
destroyed by Russian shelling. This is the case in a number of cities throughout Ukraine.
In 1999, while visiting Bosnia at the end of the conflict, I met multiple land mine victims,
saw long swaths of urban areas destroyed and a soccer field turned into a cemetery.
This type of carnage had a huge impact on civilians and displaced over two million
people. It was the first time since World War II that there was such a massive outflow of
refugees from Europe. This is now exceeded by those who fled Ukraine.
What I remember the most is the impact on children. We met several young teenagers
who had lost legs or arms to land mines. But the photograph that is etched in my mind
is the soccer field that now stands as a massive grave site. I remember standing and
looking at it for a long time, realizing no photograph could convey how I felt seeing it in
person.
While in Bosnia, we were constantly aware of land mines. When we stopped to talk with
a few people in a village that had endured significant shelling, I wandered off and went
into a building, walking up three flights of stairs so I could get an elevated photograph of
the street. As I approached a window, one of the individuals below yelled at me that the
building I was in had not been cleared of land mines. I immediately turned and carefully
walked to the staircase and down to the ground level, trying my best to retrace my steps
and not disturb any debris.

12. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 9

13. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 10

14. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 11
Left: In March of 2022, 50,000 Ukrainian refugees arrived each day by train in Przemyśl, Poland. By May of
2022, over three million Ukrainians had fled across the Ukraine/Poland border. Since the start of the war in 2022,
close to eight million refugees have fled Ukraine. The girl on the left arrived at midnight at the Przemyśl Główny
train station. The girl on the right had crossed the border at the Medyka border crossing in Przemyśl only seconds
before I took this photo. She was upset, confused and clearly exhausted.
In another situation, I saw an old church that had been hit by explosives. Not far away
there was a new church being built. I asked the driver to stop; I wanted to photograph
the new church through the blown-out windows of the old church. I got out of the vehicle
and started walking towards the old church. An older woman stopped me and was very
animated. At first, I thought she was upset with me. Tensions were very high at the
time. But as the interpreter approached, he told me that she was explaining that if I was
going to walk that direction, I must step in the footprints that were already in the snow,
otherwise I could be blown up. I decided it was not that important of a photograph.
 
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is different from the war in Bosnia in several ways.
The war in Ukraine reverberated globally. Many countries immediately understood the
implications of a sovereign nation contending with an unprovoked attack, including the
realization that we could find ourselves closer to the use of nuclear weapons than at any
other time in my adult life. Then the reality began to set in; Ukraine is a significant supplier
of grain for a number of nations which require food assistance. On top of that, many of
these countries are politically unstable, with food insecurity being one of the top drivers
of internal conflict. And then there are the economics: the impact on commodity prices,
food costs, availability of fertilizer and the significant disruption to energy markets. In
the first six months of the war, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) reported that one third of Ukrainians were forced from their homes. As of
September 2022, 7.8 million refugees had been registered outside Ukraine; 2.9 million
crossed into Russia as the only safe passage, while approximately 13 million people
remained stranded in areas, unable to leave due to security risks or Russian occupation.

In August of 2022, six months after the invasion of Ukraine, the first humanitarian
shipment of grain departed Yuzhny (Pivdennyi) Port on the Black Sea. In cooperation
with USAID and through the World Food Programme (WFP), the Foundation provided
the funding for the 23,000 metric tons of grain destined to help 750,000 refugees in
Ethiopia. The shipment came at a time when a record 345 million people in 82 counties
were facing acute food insecurity while up to 50 million people in 45 countries were on
the edge of famine. Consequently, we ended up supporting additional shipments in
collaboration with USAID through WFP.
RISK

My wife calls me the most optimistic pessimist she knows. There is a lot of truth to her
observation. I think it may be one of the reasons why I am willing to take risks in difficult
places. In 2012, when we were funding the construction of a hydroelectric plant in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, situated in the middle of the conflict between the M23
rebel group and the Congolese government, I remember one of the engineers remarked
how the project would abruptly end if one of the groups that was fighting hit a bulldozer
with an RPG. Without even thinking, I said no it won’t, we will buy another bulldozer. If we
are unwilling or cannot adjust to the unexpected or the unknown, we cannot do serious
work in the worst places in the worst of times.

On a phone call discussing Ukraine with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, someone
asked about the size of our team in Ukraine. I almost laughed out loud as I responded
that we do not have a team in Ukraine. We stepped onto Ukraine soil six weeks after the
invasion. Before we left that first visit, we had wired about $20 million to provide grocery
packs to civilians in areas where no food was available; we had formulated a plan to
help get the wheat harvest completed for small-sized farms; and we had started the
process of supplying over 160,000 pounds of vegetable seeds to World Central Kitchen
and the Ukrainian government to distribute to smallholder farmers and other civilians
for home gardens. Our rental vehicle served as our office, and these actions, along with
others, occurred on the drive between Lviv, Ukraine and Poland. I made suggestions as
Shannon Sedgwick Davis, CEO of the Bridgeway Foundation, typed messages on her
phone, bouncing along the road as if we had two flat tires. That was our team. But to be
fair, our efforts are to fill critical gaps and do it quickly with the hope that other funders
can in turn reach the scale required to address the size of the challenge. USAID has been
an important partner to us in Ukraine.

I’m not sure where my appetite for risk comes from, but it seems to come naturally. One
of the most important gestures my father made when he established our foundations
was to tell my sister, my brother and me that small efforts yield small results, that we
had the freedom to try big things and that he would not judge us by our failures. Simply
translated, I see our Foundation as philanthropic risk capital. The freedom to fail is a
great motivator when we want to work where many people or foundations will not work.
I like to think what we take are calculated risks, but the truth is, in a conflict zone with
almost no known future outcomes, little understanding of the consequences of anything
that is happening and very few dependable partners, sometimes we simply make the
best judgements that we can at the time. We don’t always know if our decision
is the best one or the right choice, but what we do know is that we must do
something. That is the freedom to fail.

15. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 12
It is funny how some things have not really changed that much in my life. My mom
used to say to me that I loved operating bulldozers and farm equipment because I did
not have enough Tonka toys when I was little–I used to jokingly respond by asking her,
“Whose fault was that?” Besides the instructions that my dad provided, there are several
things that allow me to operate our Foundation the way I do. I have no patience, which
can often be a problem, but in our Foundation’s work, it drives urgency. If people are
dying, if people are being forced from their homes or if people are living in fear, if we
do not have urgency, then we shouldn’t be working there. If we’re going to head home
the minute bullets start to fly, when the Embassy issues a no travel advisory, or when
some nonprofit organizations are pulling out, then we shouldn’t be working there. Not
everyone is interested in this type of work, but we gravitate towards it.
We are often able to operate more quickly and with more flexibility than larger foundations.
For example, on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, the Russian military began its retreat
from the city of Kherson, and two days later, on Friday, November 11, Ukraine declared
Kherson liberated. By 5:00 p.m. that same day, I received a text from an executive from
the WFP, asking if our Foundation could provide $9 million to feed 100,000 people
in Kherson for three months. There was a particular urgency to this request because
Kherson’s residents had already been without regular access to food for many months
due to the Russian occupation. We knew we needed to move quickly. Our staff worked
through the weekend, and by Monday morning, November 14, we had wired the funds
to WFP.

I have been in many similar circumstances where our small staff size and flat organization
structure allows us to make decisions and deploy resources quickly where others cannot.
I remember one meeting I had years ago in Mozambique with the executive director of
WFP and a senior program representative from a huge foundation. We were discussing
the need to quickly move food assistance into Sudan where thousands of people were
starving. I said our Foundation would commit $10 million to WFP for immediate food
assistance if the representative from the other foundation who was also present would
do the same. Unfortunately, and despite an annual grantmaking budget that was nearly
80 times larger than ours at the time, the representative did not have the authority
to make a similar commitment on the spot. This experience, and similar ones like it,
reminds me how fortunate I am to have the ability to make decisions quickly. As our
grantmaking budget has grown, we have made sure to retain that ability to be flexible
and able to deploy our resources where they are most urgently needed.
I think some of this approach is also the result of what I learned from my dad’s selective
and subtle approach with me when I was growing up. He was big on letting us make our
own mistakes; I had no shortage in this area. But he also had a subtle way of expressing
confidence in us. I argued with my mother for weeks to go to Czechoslovakia in 1969
when our foreign exchange student Vera invited me. My mother refused to let me go.
Finally, at the right time, my dad simply said, “Let him go; it will be good for him.” He was
right: it was a life-changing experience. Later in 1990, when former Congressman John
Cavanaugh was planning a trip to the Soviet Union, my dad simply said, “Why don’t you
take Howie?” I could list many more of these moments where a few words from my dad
changed my life and how I saw the world. These were opportunities and an education
that were irreplaceable.
OUR APPROACH

I believe a family foundation usually reflects the personality of the first generation to oversee
it. I realize that the next generation will not see risk, understand risk or embrace risk the
way I do. That is one reason why, when our Foundation was created, the prerequisite my
dad gave us kids to receive money was that we needed to stay actively engaged in the
operations of the Foundation. Another clear directive was that we would never create an
endowment to perpetuate the future of our Foundation. We were also afforded another
incredible freedom: to pursue what we were passionate about. We were never given
instructions or guidance about what to support. I do remember one night at the dinner
table in the early days of the Foundation when most of our grantmaking was focused
on conservation work, out of nowhere, my dad asked me, “Why cheetahs?” I believe
he was just curious, but I had a hard time going to sleep that night trying to answer that
question for myself. Another subtle lesson.
In today’s hyper-digital world, every person has a platform to criticize, misinform or
humiliate a person on just about anything. It is one reason our Foundation does not
maintain a social media presence. Social media becomes a distraction, and too often,
people are reacting with little first-hand knowledge while making some terribly bad
assumptions, or just projecting their own personal political views. As a private foundation,
we are legally required to stay out of politics, which makes it easier to focus on our job
of improving peoples’ lives based on the experiences we see first-hand informed by
the people who are living those experiences and proposing solutions we can fund. We
always want to be transparent about where we focus our resources and why, but you
will not see it on social media. It is why I write this letter and why we publish an annual
report and post it to our website.
Another subtle lesson, this one learned from watching my dad for over 60 years, is
to operate as lean as possible. Our operating percent relative to our distributions is
consistently below 2.25 percent and we have an incredible team of 14 people who
distributed $307 million in 2022 in some of the toughest places in the world. We have a
great board of trustees that cares about what we do and helps our team succeed. And

16. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 13
Top: In 2017, Howard and General Alberto Mejia, General Commander of the Military Forces of Colombia,
watched a demonstration by the Colombian military’s Humanitarian Demining Brigade in Planadas, Tolima,
Colombia. (Photo courtesy of Jeannie O’Donnell)
Bottom: Shannon Sedgwick Davis, CEO of Bridgeway Foundation, has been instrumental in assisting the
Foundation with our investments in Ukraine. Shannon and Howard are shown here receiving a briefing from the
Ukraine Territorial Defense commander. (Photo courtesy of Laren Poole)
we have some great partners that understand and embrace our style. But the greatest
assets I have are the lessons I have learned from my family, my friends and my first-hand
experiences.
We will continue to fail at some of what we attempt, but what I have learned from our
failures is that we are better and more prepared for the next challenge. I believe it is
important to share our failures. In 2010 our entire annual report focused on our failures
and lessons learned. Most organizations want to tell you the great things that they have
accomplished; we do that as well, but it is just as important to talk about failures so that
others can learn what we have learned.
We are working in difficult places, and because of that, I know we are improving lives
and, even at times, creating choices for people to avoid fleeing their homes so they
can create a better future right where they live. At times it is difficult, frustrating and
sometimes very sad work, but there is no better opportunity than to be given the chance
to improve the lives of as many people as possible.

I recently read a statement by Jim Sloan that he applied to my father: “Take notice of a
great leader’s determination to protect and improve the lives of others in a way
that will outlast his individual presence.” This is why our Foundation was created,
and it is why every day we try to make investments that will outlast our Foundation’s
existence.

17. LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN 14
This flashlight was converted to an IED by using a P4 plastic explosive with a
fused trigger switch. When the power switch of this flashlight is turned on, it
connects the circuit and detonates the device.
A military demining K-9 found an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden
inside a child’s toy and designed to kill or maim the person who found it. This
IED was made with a nitroglycerin solution with a counter balanced trip
switch. A ball bearing was used as a connection to complete the explosive cycle
when held in a certain position.
This box of chocolates has a simple pressure detonation fuse fitted to explode
when the lid is opened.
In April 2022, while traveling from Lviv, Ukraine to the Polish border, we stopped several
times to speak with farmers in the field. Wherever I am in the world, I always travel with
small John Deere toy tractors and John Deere hats to give to children I meet on the farms
I visit. On our first stop, after I handed this boy a tractor and hat, he showed the tractor I
gave him to his father who was planting potatoes (above).
On our last stop to talk with farmers, I noticed a young boy leaning against a fence post,
looking preoccupied, staring off into the distance. After visiting for a few minutes, the
boy walked up and stood next to one of the farmers. I offered him a toy tractor, but he
refused to accept it.
After the boy walked away, one of the farmers told us that he was there with his mother
and that they were refugees from Kyiv. He shared that the boy’s mother had forbidden him
to play with toys that he found or that were offered to him. The farmer further explained
that the Russians had concealed explosives in toys, and children had lost hands and
arms as a result.
I later heard confirmation of this tactic from a doctor who had responded to injuries
resulting from this specific type of violence. In addition, the organization we supported
with explosive detection K-9s shared examples of items K-9s had identified while
searching for explosives. As the war continued, more and more documentation surfaced
of refrigerators, washing machines and other items exploding; we learned that when the
Russians retreated from the initial invasion of the Kyiv area, they left behind items that
had been cleverly set to detonate when people returned home. This proved true later
when the Russians fled areas such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv and other areas in the East.

18. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 15
Top left: Senior Lieutenant Loboda of the Kyiv Regional
Police trains with her K-9 Suza. The Foundation donated
10 K-9s to the Ukraine State Emergency Service and 10 K-9s
to the Kyiv Regional Police to assist in search and rescue and
explosives detection. (Photo courtesy of Oleg Semeniuk)
Top right: Traveling across the country, signs warning of the
presence of land mine areas are everywhere, including along
major roads. It will take years to clear the mines left by
Russians. These mines include “butterfly” mines, which are
designed to maim, and POM-3 mines, which are activated
by the vibrations of someone approaching, making them more
difficult to detect prior to detonation.
Bottom left: An abandoned teddy bear lies by a playground in
Horenka, Ukraine. One of the war’s many horrors includes
children’s toys being converted into IEDs. I left the bear alone.
Bottom right: As we talked with people outside a building that
had been heavily shelled, a group of toys caught my attention. I
thought back to my experience with the young boy on the farm
who refused to accept the toy tractor I offered him as a gift for
fear it was one of the explosives his mother had warned him to
avoid. I was tempted to go examine the toys, but decided it was
better to move on.

21. FINANCIALS 18
2022 CONTRIBUTIONS CONTRIBUTIONS BY CATEGORY
CONTRIBUTIONS BY GEOGRAPHY
CONTRIBUTIONS BY DESTINATION
FOOD SECURITY
53.1%
PUBLIC SAFETYCONFLICT MITIGATION
7.2%
COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
4.6%33.8%
NON-STRATEGIC
1.3%
AFRICA
6.3%
UKRAINE
49.3% 16.1%
UNITED STATES
20.0% 5.0%
SOUTH AMERICA
CENTRAL AMERICA MEXICO
AFGHANISTAN
3.2%0.1%
INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL LOCAL
80.0% 8.5% 11.5%

22. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 19
2021 CONTRIBUTIONS CONTRIBUTIONS BY CATEGORY
CONTRIBUTIONS BY GEOGRAPHY
CONTRIBUTIONS BY DESTINATION
CONFLICT MITIGATION
44.6%
FOOD SECURITY
14.8%
PUBLIC SAFETY
11.7%
COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
23.1%
NON-STRATEGIC
5.8%
AFRICA
16.4%
UNITED STATES
43.0%
SOUTH AMERICA
18.7%
CENTRAL AMERICA
20.6% 1.1%
MEXICO
EURASIA
0.2%
INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL LOCAL
57.0% 30.9% 12.1%

23. FINANCIALS 20
OPERATING EXPENDITURES
(AS PERCENT OF GRANTS)
QUALIFYING DISTRIBUTIONS
(AS PERCENT OF ASSETS)
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2005
2005
2006
2006
2007
2007
2008
2008
2009
2009
2010
2010
2011
2011
2012
2012
2013
2013
2014
2014
2015
2015
2016
2016
2017
2017
2018
2018
2019
2019
2020
2020
2021
2021
2022
2022
6
5
4
3
1
2
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Qualifying Distributions
(as percent of assets)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Operating Expenditures as Percent of Grants

24. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 21
TOTAL ASSETS
(IN MILLIONS)
AVERAGE GRANT SIZE
(IN THOUSANDS)
$400
$600
$500
$700
$800
$300
$200
$100
$0
$1,800
$2,400
$2,700
$1,200
$1,500
$2,100
$900
$300
$600
$0
2005
2005
2006
2006
2007
2007
2008
2008
2009
2009
2010
2010
2011
2011
2012
2012
2013
2013
2014
2014
2015
2015
2016
2016
2017
2017
2018
2018
2019
2019
2020
2020
2021
2021
2022
2022
0
100000000
200000000
300000000
400000000
500000000
600000000
700000000
800000000
Total Assets
(in millions)

25. FINANCIALS 22
1
Statements prepared on a cash basis/income tax basis
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
1
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2022
HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2022
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents 177,944,891$
Investments 604,948,634
Other assets 50,164
Land, Buildings, Equipment,
net of accumulated depreciation 621,784
TOTAL ASSETS 783,565,473$
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
Liabilities:
Accounts payable 56,692$
Income tax payable 17,895
TOTAL LIABILITIES 74,587
Net Assets:
Unrestricted 783,490,886
TOTAL NET ASSETS 783,490,886
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS 783,565,473$

26. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 23
1
Statements prepared on a cash basis/income tax basis
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
1
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
REVENUE AND SUPPORT:
Contributions and Grants:
Operating 308,700,526$
Total contributions and grants 308,700,526

Gain (Loss) on sale of investments 24,525,157
Interest and investment income 2,246,299
Unused grant returns 126,907,713
Other income 82,630
TOTAL REVENUE AND SUPPORT 462,462,325$
EXPENSES:
Program:
Food Security 493,577$
Conflict Mitigation 3,651,675
Community 45,400
Human Trafficking 367,698
Public Safety 661,168
Total Program 5,219,518
Contributions, Gifts, Grants Paid 297,309,174
General and administrative 5,292,749
TOTAL EXPENSES 307,821,441
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS 154,640,884
NET ASSETS AT BEGINNING OF YEAR 618,859,956
CHANGE IN UNREALIZED GAINS ON INVESTMENTS 9,990,046
NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR 783,490,886$

27. FINANCIALS 24
United States
Mexico
Paraguay
Guatemala
El Salvador
Chile
Peru
Ecuador
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Honduras
Cuba
Canada
Colombia
2022 contributions or continuing pr ojects
Former contributions
Indonesia
Algeria
Libya
Sudan
Chad
Niger
Mali
Burkina
Faso
Ghana
São Tomé
and Príncipe
Togo
Somalia
Somaliland
Lesotho
Tanzania
Benin
Senegal
The Gambia
Western
Sahara
Morocco
Rwanda
Liberia
Guinea
Namibia
Ethiopia
Kenya
Djibouti
Dem. Rep.
of the Congo
Uganda
Congo
Gabon
Angola
South
Africa
Zambia
Malawi
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Madagascar
Botswana
Yemen
Turkey
China
Tajikistan
Pakistan
India
Bangladesh
Thailand
Vietnam
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Romania Georgia
Russia
Armenia
Jordan
Bosnia &
Bulgaria
Burundi
Côte
d'Ivoir e
Kyrgyzstan
Serbia
Ukraine
Countries r eceiving funds in 2022 also may have
received funds in prior years.
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Spain
Croatia
Czech
Poland
Latvia
Estonia
Republic
United
Kingdom
Herzegovina
Afghanistan
Iraq
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Central African
RepublicSouth
Sudan
Eritrea

Lithuania
Belarus

28. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 25
United States
Mexico
Paraguay
Guatemala
El Salvador
Chile
Peru
Ecuador
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Honduras
Cuba
Canada
Colombia
2022 contributions or continuing pr ojects
Former contributions
Indonesia
Algeria
Libya
Sudan
Chad
Niger
Mali
Burkina
Faso
Ghana
São Tomé
and Príncipe
Togo
Somalia
Somaliland
Lesotho
Tanzania
Benin
Senegal
The Gambia
Western
Sahara
Morocco
Rwanda
Liberia
Guinea
Namibia
Ethiopia
Kenya
Djibouti
Dem. Rep.
of the Congo
Uganda
Congo
Gabon
Angola
South
Africa
Zambia
Malawi
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Madagascar
Botswana
Yemen
Turkey
China
Tajikistan
Pakistan
India
Bangladesh
Thailand
Vietnam
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Romania Georgia
Russia
Armenia
Jordan
Bosnia &
Bulgaria
Burundi
Côte
d'Ivoir e
Kyrgyzstan
Serbia
Ukraine
Countries r eceiving funds in 2022 also may have
received funds in prior years.
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Spain
Croatia
Czech
Poland
Latvia
Estonia
Republic
United
Kingdom
Herzegovina
Afghanistan
Iraq
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Central African
RepublicSouth
Sudan
Eritrea

Lithuania
Belarus

31. FOOD SECURITY 28
THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND ITS IMPACT ON GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

The war in Ukraine has had serious implications for global food security. Ukraine is
considered the “breadbasket of the world” with its food exports feeding over 400 million
people. Since the start of the war, millions of Ukrainians, especially those displaced by
the conflict, are now food insecure, and Ukraine’s ability to harvest and export food has
been disrupted. This in turn has made critical food aid less available for millions of hungry
and starving people in Africa and the Middle East. It has also forced WFP to cut food
aid rations for over five million people to less than 50 percent of the daily requirement. A
record 345 million people in 82 countries are now facing acute food insecurity and up to
50 million people in 45 countries are on the edge of famine, making this the largest food
crisis in modern history.
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the Russian military has exploited Ukraine’s
role as a net exporter of critical food commodities by disrupting the agricultural sector
in a variety of ways, including stealing or destroying farm equipment and stored grain,
and attacking production facilities. Ukrainian farmers who return to their farms find them
filled with land mines and their equipment destroyed, in what has been characterized as
a Russian strategy to cripple Ukraine’s agricultural industry and use starvation as a war
tactic, in direct violation of the Geneva Convention.
VICTORY HARVEST: SUPPORTING SMALL FARM PRODUCERS IMPACTED BY THE WAR
To mitigate the disruption to Ukraine’s agricultural production, the Foundation worked
quickly at the start of the conflict to procure and donate farming equipment valued at
nearly $20 million to help Ukrainian farmers with smaller farms continue to harvest, store,
distribute and plant crops. Our goal was simple: keep farmers farming to mitigate the
supply disruptions that are increasing food insecurity in Ukraine and around the world.
Conflict breeds food insecurity, but food insecurity also breeds conflict. Many countries
that depend on Ukrainian food exports are home to internally destabilizing populations
that can be radicalized in times of economic crisis and rising food insecurity. Working to
restore Ukraine’s ability to export grain reduces instability globally, saves lives and greatly
decreases the cost and scale of trying to address the consequences of this conflict in
the years to come.
EMERGENCY INTERVENTIONS FOR POPULATIONS IMPACTED BY THE WAR
The Foundation also worked to respond to the immediate food insecurity needs in
Ukraine and abroad. Russia’s invasion made over 35 percent of Ukrainians food
insecure, according to the WFP. To address this very real need, we partnered with
several organizations to provide food to Ukrainian civilians in the early months of the
war, as well as immediately following territorial liberation. We also worked to restore
critical exports of food aid.
We provided a $19 million grant to World Central Kitchen (WCK) to provide grocery kits
to families in newly liberated towns in Ukraine and occupied areas in the Donbas region,
distributing more than 1.1 million food kits in total, equivalent to nearly 25 million meals.
In mid-June, a Russian missile attack on a cargo train near Pokrovsk destroyed 34 to 50
pallets of food supplies. We were able to provide immediate funding to replace that food,
allowing WCK to quickly resume food kit assembly and delivery. Our Foundation team
also spent weeks sourcing, procuring and arranging the distribution of 158,000 pounds
of vegetable seeds for Ukraine’s farmers and home gardens.
With a $1.8 million contribution from the Foundation, Global Empowerment Mission
(GEM) purchased, assembled and distributed food and basic supply kits to 687,500
people living in newly liberated regions and communities close to or on the frontlines.
Each kit includes 28 pounds of vital supplies, such as hygiene products and blankets,
and enough Ukrainian-produced food to feed a family of five for two weeks. Given
Russia’s strategy to cripple Ukraine’s energy sector and basic services, civilians across
the country, but especially those close to the frontlines, lack the most basic of necessities
and rely almost entirely on this type of humanitarian support.
The Foundation also committed $8 million in partnership with First Lady Olena Zelensky
to build and operate a central production kitchen in Bucha that will help 31 schools
meet the urgent school lunch needs of over 10,000 children. Many schools in the Bucha
community were looted and damaged during Russia’s military occupation and can no
longer provide proper food services for students. Once complete, the central production
kitchen will prepare lunches for all the schools in its network and deliver them for reheating
and consumption. Funding support also includes kitchen upgrades, cafeteria equipment
and repairs for participating schools.
The sustained closure of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had perhaps the war’s most dramatic
and direct impact on global food security. Over 90 percent of the six million tons of grain
that Ukraine exported every month before the war went through the ports. After Russia’s
invasion, those export volumes fell to 1.6 million tons a month, and the impact on the
global grain supply market was deeply felt in places that rely on WFP’s food assistance.
Before the war, in 2021, almost 58 percent of WFP’s overall wheat procurement came
from Ukraine.
Following the signing of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022, which allowed a limited
re-opening of key Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, the Foundation provided WFP with
a $22.6 million grant to purchase 60,000 metric tons (66,139 tons) of Ukrainian grain for
the first two humanitarian shipments of grain that left the country under the agreement.
WFP used the grain to support its response to the threat of famine in the Horn of Africa,
where drought and the war in Ukraine have caused millions of people to face severe
hunger. The shipments of grain purchased with Foundation funding went directly to feed
millions of people in Ethiopia and Yemen.

32. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 29
Top left: Howard at a food distribution in Posad-Pokrovs’ke, Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Spencer Taylor)
Top right: A photo of one of the train cars hit by a
Russian missile attack near Pokrovsk, destroying 34 to 50 pallets
of food supplies. (Photo courtesy of Kateryna Onishchenko)
Bottom: This map shows the locations of the communities that received emergency food and supply assistance distributed
by GEM through a grant from the Foundation. The areas in red denote the front lines and Russia-occupied areas.
Sribrne
Trudove
Shyroka Balka
Myroliubivka
Ivanivka
Zarichne
Ivanopillya
Pryvillya
Svyatogorsk
Bila Hora
Nelipivka
Vasyukivka
Vuhledar
Avdiivka
Raiske
Torske
Orikhovo-Vasylivka
Krasnogorkova
Bachmut
Dubovo-Vasylivka
Novoselivka
Chasiv Jar
Oleksanrdo-Shul’tyne
Tomyna Balka
Stanislav
Bilozerka
Predtechyne
Oleksijevo-Druzhkivka
Yul’ivka
Novogrigoryevka
Diliivka
Grishyno
Svyrodove
Andriivka
Arhangilske
Beryslav
Stepanivka
Tsyrkuny
Derhachi
Dolynka
Keramik
Kostyantinopil
Niu-York
Novyy Komar Novobahmutivka
Ilyinka
Sontsivka
Dalne
Ukrainsk
Novokalinove
Novopokrovske
Novoselivka Persha
Artemivske
Odradne
Bagatir
Oleksiivka
Pokrovsk
Orlivka
Pershe Travnya
Pervomayske
Primorske
Rozdolne
Semenivka
Prelesne
Shakhtarske
Skuchne
Toreck
Vesele
Voshod
Minkivka
Ocheretyne
Sokil
Novogrodiva
Kherson
Posad-Pokrovs’ke
Immediately following the liberation of Kherson in November 2022, the Foundation made
an additional donation to WFP of over $9 million to support 100,000 people in newly
accessible areas in the region. Our ability to move quickly to fund immediate needs
meant that WFP was on the ground providing this much needed support on the very
next day following liberation. The Foundation’s donation allowed WFP to provide one
month of ready-to-eat rations and two months of general food packages to civilians who
lived through some of the war’s worst fighting and occupation.
PROJECT EXPEDITE JUSTICE: WAR CRIMES IN AGRICULTURE
From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 through October 2022, the Kyiv
School of Economics estimates that Russia has stolen or destroyed 4.04 million tons
of grain and oilseeds, valued at about $1.9 billion, from Ukrainian territories. Ukraine
accounts for one-tenth of global wheat exports, so Russia’s actions have created a
worldwide food crisis. Additionally, evidence on the orchestrated theft of a critical share
of Ukraine’s food supply needs to be properly collected and documented for future
adjudication as a war crime.
To accomplish this, the Foundation has partnered with the nonprofit organization Project
Expedite Justice (PEJ) to support Ukrainian authorities to investigate and compile this
evidence. PEJ’s analysis of corporate networks and illicit shipping operations thus
far supports the theory that the theft of Ukraine’s grain stocks (as well as other food
commodities) was planned before the Russian invasion in February 2022, and that several
individuals were preparing logistical capacity to support the invasion. Furthermore, they
believe there is a deliberate, ongoing effort on Russia’s part to cover-up the origin of
stolen Ukrainian grain sold on the international market.
PEJ is working to identify and document the actions, individuals and companies involved
in the organization, preparation, facilitation, as well as the actual theft, transport and sale
of plundered products related to Ukraine’s agricultural production and food supply. PEJ
is also preparing briefs against identified parties to support future criminal prosecutions.
It is a meticulous process, but ultimately, it will allow Ukrainian authorities to have the
documentation they need to pursue prosecutions and seek justice and retribution for
war crimes that affected Ukraine’s food production and supply.

33. FOOD SECURITY 30
Export restrictions for food and fertilizers applied February-August
Source: IFPRI - David Laborde
Restrictions on fertilizer
Restrictions on food
Restrictions on food and fertilizer
Supply-chain reorganization: Friendshoring  
Given the geopolitical nature of current disruptions,
many countries are restructuring cooperation in
strategic sectors such as agriculture and energy.
THE LONGER ROAD AHEAD
Reduced value of Ukraine’s grain
Buyers of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural
products will expect a discount until the country is
no longer seen as vulnerable to Russian
interference.
Self-sufficiency: Escaping international
supply chains
The crisis and subsequent trade barriers eroded
trust in international markets and their role as a
reliable supplier of commodities. 
Following the invasion, policymakers are increasingly viewing food security as national security. The trust-based system that had guided the international food trade will become less
international and more protectionist. The result will be a mix of managed trade, reoriented supply chains and “friendshoring,” strategic overseas and domestic investment in
agricultural production, and more self-sufficiency and redundancies.
THE IMPACT OF THE UKRAINE CRISIS ON GLOBAL AGRICULTURE TRADE
GRAIN TRAVELS

Logistics disruption
Disrupted logistics services and financial issues led to transport
bottlenecks and farm input scarcity, driving prices higher. In July,
about 10 percent of container vessels remained unavailable at a
given time amid supply chain delays.
Trade restrictions
About 30 countries enacted export restrictions for commodities,
mostly via bans and, in a few cases, export licenses and taxes.
HAPPENING NOW
RUSSIA
+7 MMT
-8.8
 MMT
UKRAINE
Russia likely to take some of
Ukraine's market share
Forecast wheat exports 2022-2023

Russia decoupling from global
supply chains
Concern about reliance on Russian imports led
some firms to diversify sourcing, especially for
energy, raw materials, and fertilizer.
Key producers will seek alternative sourcing for
fertilizers, but this will not meet short-term demand. 
More investment in land-rich developing states
for food supply
This strategy mitigates the sensitivity of
net-importing states to global food prices and
supply shocks by allowing them to secure
overseas supply.
But this could cause political risk and instability
owing to potential disputes over land and local
farmer rights.
HAPPENING SOON

34. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 31
Evidence collected by Project Expedite Justice (PEJ) suggests that Russia is potentially engaged in pre-meditated
action to take Ukrainian grain. With nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian cropland in occupied territory, Russian troops
have had the opportunity to seize agricultural produce or force farmers to sell to them at below-market prices.
TAKING UKRAINIAN GRAIN
THE WEAPONIZATION OF FOOD IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS
GRAIN TRAVELS
The evidence that PEJ and others have gathered about these practices includes:
Farms and silos
Travel to Armiansk or
Chonhar to cross
into Crimea
Kerch port in Crimea
Allegedly mixed
with Russian grain
Trucks and railcars
Transferred from small
ships to bulk carriers
Travel to the Middle East
with certification that the
product is Russian
Ukraine
Sevastopol
Karasu
Samsum
Iskenderun
Latakia
Kerch
Russia
Turkey
Syria
Matros Pozynich
Finikia
Sormovskiy
Data presented in this fact-sheet
was provided by Eurasia Group
Bulk carriers traveling abroad from Crimea allegedly export the grain (From 11 April to 22 June)
Advertisements from Russia for drivers to take
freight trucks from various locations in occupied
Ukraine to Sevastopol in Crimea;
Media reports of occupying officials openly
discussing the transportation of this grain in
pro-Russian publications.
Information showing that a Russian transportation
company bought several bulk carrier vessels in the
three months leading up to Russia’s invasion and
immediately deployed them to Sevastopol;
Source: Loyds List Intelligence

35. FOOD SECURITY 32
South of Chernihiv in Ukraine, Howard G. Buffett operates one of the combines purchased by his foundation to
help farmers, including those who had their machinery destroyed by the Russians. A fellow farmer, he was asked
by local farmers to help harvest their crops.
Howard G. Buffett visits a mass grave site on the outskirts
of Izium on November 6, 2022.
FROM THE U.S. TO UKRAINE, FARMER SOLIDARITY IS UNIVERSAL
Written by Howard G. Buffett
During the fall harvest, across rural America, you may at times encounter a mechanical
convoy of combine harvesters rumbling down the road, headed who knows where. As
likely as not, the drivers of these huge machines are going to a farm they don’t know
to harvest a crop they never planted for a farmer they’ve never met. And they do this
without asking for a penny in return.
It’s a common act of generosity and solidarity in farm country. The harvest waits for
no one, and when a farmer is too sick or injured to bring in a crop, neighbors – and
strangers – show up to help.
This farmer-to-farmer ethic holds strong across rural America. It’s something I think
about as I land home in rural, central Illinois after my fourth visit to Ukraine since the start
of the war. It’s what compels me to extend this generous spirit farther, to help farmers
who have been struggling to harvest and plant their fields since Russia’s unprovoked
invasion in February.
Ukraine is one of the world’s great
breadbaskets, a vast heartland of
wheat, corn, barley and sunflowers.
Its simple yellow-and-blue flag is a
farmer’s flag, evoking golden fields
and endless sky. But since the start
of the conflict, Ukraine’s fields of rich
black soil have been trampled by
troops, cratered by artillery shells,
burned and salted with land mines.
For months, its vital Black Sea port
was blockaded, keeping critical
food aid from hungry countries
and wreaking havoc on global food
prices and supply. The situation remains perilous. Meanwhile, winter is closing in, many
Ukrainian farms and crops have been destroyed, and the conflict shows no sign of
ending.
All wars are brutal, but Russian President Vladimir Putin’s onslaught has been particularly
savage to civilians. Despite Russia’s denial of responsibility, each week brings news of
more humanitarian atrocities, mass graves and the systematic torture of soldiers and
civilians.
Missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions without
electricity, part of a sustained campaign against civilian targets. Children and the
elderly have been slaughtered as Russia’s military has aimed its firepower at schools,
playgrounds, religious sites, hospitals, residential neighborhoods – and farms.
I am not a soldier or politician. But as a farmer and philanthropist who has worked on
global food-security issues for more than 20 years, I know that when farms are destroyed,
the damage spreads far and wide, and recovery is prolonged. People go hungry.

36. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 33
Homes and buildings in Kam’yanka, a village 3.5 hours south of Kyiv, have been destroyed by Russian shelling. A
burnt-out Russian tank remains, as do land mines.
Before the war, Ukraine exported about 6 million to 7 million tons of grain per month,
with about 30% going to Europe, 30% to North Africa and 40% to Asia, according to
the Ukrainian Grain Association. Much of that grain is desperately needed in places
devastated by conflict and drought, like the Horn of Africa. Many of Putin’s worst-
suffering victims live far beyond Ukraine’s borders. Not long ago, in Kyiv, I met a man
who owned a farm near Bobrik, a small village about two hours south of the capital. He
told me that early in the invasion, Russian forces seized his farm for an operating base.
Soldiers moved in and stockpiled ammunition and supplies.
This man gave the coordinates of his farm to the Ukrainian military, so they could
bomb the soldiers and munitions occupying it. My new friend had no insurance on his
tractors, and no way to replace the fertilizer and other assets he lost. He could have
done nothing, but instead he gave up his farm to protect his country. He told me he
would do it again if necessary. I heard a version of this story more than once in Ukraine.
No one knows when and how the war will end. When it does, it will take many years for
Ukraine to recover. In the meantime, there are things we can do to help.
This is not a distant war that does not affect Americans. The foundation I run has
long understood the relationship between food security and conflict. Americans are
not insulated from the effects of far-off hunger, instability and violence. We must do
everything in our power to keep Ukraine’s farms productive and exports flowing. We
know that Russians have stolen and sold Ukrainian grain to fund their war machine.
They are bent on destroying the agricultural sector so the country can no longer feed
the world or itself. These crimes must be stopped and prosecuted.
As Ukrainians courageously stand their ground, we Americans can help. Our foundation
supported the first two shipments of grain for food aid through the Black Sea in
collaboration with the World Food Programme and the U.S. Agency for International
Development. Last summer, we donated thousands of pounds of vegetable seeds to
Ukrainian families for home gardens. We are helping farmers clear their fields of mines.
I urge all Americans to summon that farmer-to-farmer ethic and pitch in where they can.
On my last two trips to Ukraine, I had the opportunity to run some of the combines we
donated, helping bring in the wheat and corn harvest under the blue Ukrainian sky. I
know many fellow American farmers would be doing the same if they could.
I’ve arrived home to a new Congress taking shape, thinking about the bravery and
determination of our Ukrainian friends and hoping US leaders, regardless of party
affiliation, continue their steadfast support. I’ll continue to try to help Ukrainians any way
I can and urge all Americans to join me.
From CNN.com. © 2022 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros.
Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Used under license.

37. FOOD SECURITY 34
STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE IN CENTRAL
AMERICA AND MEXICO
EXPANDING WATER-SMART AGRICULTURE IN MESOAMERICA
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and southern Mexico have some of the highest rates
of food insecurity in Latin America and are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
Prolonged dry spells and periods of intense rainfall have negatively affected regional crop
production, leaving farmer households prone to hunger and malnutrition. Data shows
that subsistence farmers–who make up 62 percent of households in the region’s Dry
Corridor–have lost between 50 and 80 percent of their harvest to crop failure in the past
few years, triggering high levels of food insecurity and forced migration from the region.
According to the United Nations, reduced agricultural productivity and crop losses are
the second-most cited causes of migration from the Dry Corridor, with food insecure
people three times more likely to migrate than those who are better off. To address these
challenges, the Foundation is investing in sustainable and scalable solutions to improve
agricultural productivity and resilience, including the regional Water-Smart Agriculture
(WSA) initiative.
WSA builds on nearly two decades of experience in promoting conservation-based
production practices to help smallholder farmers increase their productivity and resilience
to extreme weather events. WSA is based on the three principles of conservation
agriculture: cover crops, crop rotation and no-till farming. Together, these practices
improve soil health and water availability to improve yields. The first phase of WSA,
piloted with support from our longstanding partner, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) from
2015-2021, combined field testing by smallholder farmers with efforts to promote water-
smart policies and investments by government, donors and development organizations.
Program data shows that improved soil fertility management (the right source of nutrients
at the right rate, time and placement) and use of conservation agriculture practices
helped farmers improve their crop productivity and resilience. WSA-monitored farms
outperformed farms using conventional practices by at least 15 percent. Increased
yields on WSA farms, in turn, significantly raised net income for program-supported
maize, beans and coffee farmers. WSA producers also fared better against extreme
weather events and were able to maintain their yields above the regional average during
the 2018 drought and 2020 hurricane season. Based on these results, regional leaders
are increasingly adopting WSA practices as a solution to revitalizing smallholder, rain-fed
agriculture in Mesoamerica.
In 2022, the Foundation expanded its support for WSA as a regional food security
solution with a six-year, $35 million grant (WSAII). This second phase of WSA will expand
conservation practices from single plots to whole farms and support a critical mass
of farmers and their families, especially women and youth, to optimize their earnings
from increased productivity and market access. To extend WSA’s reach and promote
sustainability, WSAII will continue working with national agriculture ministries to transfer
WSA methodologies and co-develop a regional virtual information and extension hub.
To guide program implementation, WSAII is also producing a climate modeling study,
Tortillas Off the Roaster, as a follow-on to the 2010 Foundation-funded Tortillas On the
Roaster report, to help identify the best climate-resilient crops for production over the
next 50 years. The Foundation hopes the new Tortillas study will help current and next
generation farmers adapt to changing climatic patterns and guide Central American
governments and development entities towards responsive and research-informed
agriculture strategies over the coming decade.
ALIANZA CACAO II: ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THE CACAO VALUE CHAIN
While cacao is indigenous to El Salvador and was cultivated for nearly 3,000 years,
its production has dropped in recent decades as farmers turned to producing more
profitable coffee for export markets. However, falling coffee prices and the devastation
of plantations in lower altitudes from a fungus, known as coffee rust or roya, have now
made coffee production less economically viable for many Salvadoran smallholder
farmers. To revitalize farmer livelihoods, national producers and agricultural institutions
are returning to cacao.
In 2014, the Foundation contributed $10 million to jumpstart the Salvadoran cacao value
chain through a co-financed program called Alianza Cacao (Cocoa Alliance). While the
project–implemented by CRS–made progress in creating cacao agroforestry systems
(AFS) and increased the number of national cacao producers, it failed to achieve its value
chain targets. This led the Foundation to fund a second, five-year, $10 million Alianza
Cacao II program in 2019, to achieve the project’s original goal of revitalizing cacao
production, processing and distribution.
Three years after the start of Alianza Cacao II, nearly 80 percent of the 2,100 project-
supported farmers have achieved fully productive cacao agroforestry systems. Farms
that are applying water-smart agriculture practices have increased their production of
dry cacao six-fold, reaching 886 metric tons (MT) (1,953,295 pounds) in the third year
of the program as compared to 147 MT (324,080 pounds) in year one. This accounts
for approximately 80 percent of the total cacao produced in El Salvador. Increased
production has in turn generated a 13 percent increase in employment on cacao AFS
farms.

With sufficient production, the project is now focused on promoting sustainability across
the value chain by connecting Salvadoran producers to national and international markets

38. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 35
while strengthening local processors and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
The program has trained over 400 farmers to improve their processing techniques at 50
drying and fermentation centers serviced by the program, resulting in a greater volume
and quality of fermented and washed cacao demanded by buyers. To strengthen national
demand for cacao, the project has to date provided technical training and business
development support to more than 70 cacao and chocolate SMBs seeking to provide
sustainable business services.
A key goal to achieving a sustainable national cacao value chain is to replace Salvadoran
cacao imports with locally produced beans. Prior to Alianza Cacao II, the country
imported 84 percent of its cacao for consumption. With the program’s support, imports
have decreased as SMBs are opting to buy more of their cacao from local farmers, who
now satisfy 57 percent of domestic demand. In the program’s third year, Salvadoran
SMBs purchased 609 MT (1,342,615 pounds) of cacao from local farmers, a 90 percent
increase since the start of the project. Cacao farmers and cooperatives are also now
independently managing commercial negotiations with SMBs without project support.
Despite international supply chain disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic
and the war in Ukraine, project-supported cacao producers increased the amount of
high-quality fermented cacao exported to Europe and the United States to nearly 30
MT (66,139 pounds), a 140 percent increase in three years. For farmers, increased
cacao sales are translating into improved livelihoods. The average income reported by
producers from their agroforestry systems increased from $758 per hectare (ha) ($1,895
per acre) in year one to $2,874 per ha ($7,185 per acre) in year three–a 279 percent
increase–with an average in net profits of $1,876 per ha ($4,650 per acre).
To continue promoting the national cacao value chain abroad, Alianza Cacao II is
encouraging national producers and chocolatiers to showcase their talent. In 2021,
Xocolatisimo, one of four project SMBs participating in the Northwest Chocolate
Alliance Awards, won two golds and one silver in three different award categories. In the
2022 edition of the same U.S. festival, Belú Cacao, another Alianza Cacao II-supported
business, won gold in the inclusion chocolate category. Project producers are also
receiving growing international recognition. In 2021, producer Cooperativa Barra Ciega,
was classified as among the 50 best cacao samples in the world at the Cocoa of
Excellence Awards in Paris and won second place under the award’s Central America
and Caribbean regional category. These successes highlight the emerging high-quality
of Salvadoran cacao and help position the national value chain for long-term success.
During Alianza Cacao II’s final two years of implementation, the project will gradually
transition its functions to the local public and private sector, a last step to achieving a
self-sustainable cacao value chain.
LEYDI SORIANO | FARMER AND PROMOTER

After working in a shop for 20 years, Leydi Soriano
became a cacao producer in 2015. With the support
of Alianza Cacao, she set up a 350-plant nursery.
At the time, people criticized her for reinvesting her
savings from working in the shop to her farm.
Leydi learned how to cultivate and process the crop thanks to the training she
received from Alianza Cacao’s extension technicians. She then started teaching
other farmers how to graft cacao branches. Leydi is now working full-time on
cacao cultivation, post-harvest management and processing at the cooperative
she leads, ACODESMOVI. She is also working as a community promoter to provide
technical support to 37 other cacao producers in the municipality of Puerto El
Trunfio in Usulután.
In 2021, a cacao sample from ACODESMOVI won third place among 27 samples
in the Salvadoran National Cacao of Excellence contest. She called this a family
achievement as her husband also supports cacao post-harvest management and
processing.
“I feel happy with what my farm gives me–cacao and bananas are sustenance for
my family. I am glad I can help other people improve their cacao practices and
have better incomes.”
GLENDY FERNÁNDEZ | SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

A few years ago, Gleandy Fernández and her husband
Juan Carlos decided he would migrate to the U.S. to find a
better paying job to support their family. After a few years
in the U.S., Juan Carlos was deported back to El Salvador.
Unemployed and with little savings, Glendy and Juan Carlos
started making hot chocolate tablets (or tablillas ) to generate
income. Sales were initially slow, but Glendy and Juan Carlos
soon saw a future in chocolate and named their business
Chocolates Tetonalli. In ancient Aztec, Tetonalli means “soul,”
a concept associated with new beginnings.
Alianza Cacao II trained Glendy and Juan Carlos on cacao post-harvest processing
and marketing and invited them to business fairs. A year after finalizing their
business plan, Chocolate Tetonalli is now being sold in five strategic points around
San Salvador. Chocolate Tetonalli , made with 100 percent Salvadoran cacao, is
now a growing business that employs three staff to process locally sourced cacao.
“Thanks to everything I have learned from Alianza Cacao, I now have the right skills
to sell my quality products. The income Tetonalli generates covers our family
needs. It’s not the American dream, it’s the Salvadoran dream, because we have
found everything we need locally,” says Glendy.

39. FOOD SECURITY 36
RECRUITING FARMWORKERS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA
The high demand for labor in the United States is one significant driver of irregular
migration from countries south of our border. Connecting workers with employers through
legal pathways to employment has the advantage of addressing that labor need while
reducing the number of migrants who take the dangerous risks of crossing the border
illegally. In 2022, the Foundation provided funding to pilot a new program in partnership
with CIERTO Global to provide more legal pathways for Guatemalan farmworkers to
access H-2A visas.
The H-2A visa program was created in 1986 to help U.S. growers meet domestic labor
shortages and has become an integral part of our country’s food production system.
However, increasing demand for H-2A workers has encouraged recruiters to expand
their operations to unregulated and corrupt countries in search of people desperate to
take job opportunities offered at any price, without demanding employment benefits. In
such cases, few formal mechanisms exist to ensure that recruitment, labor conditions
and agriculture processes are free from abuse.
To address these unequitable labor recruitment practices, in 2016 the Foundation
provided CIERTO with seed funding to create an ethical H-2A recruitment model to
protect farmworkers from fraud and abuse. CIERTO’s model also protects growers by
ensuring the workers they need are not charged unethical fees or otherwise exploited.
CIERTO initially focused on workers from Mexico who qualify for H-2A visas because
Mexico has historically been the main source of foreign farm labor to the U.S. CIERTO’s
goal was to demonstrate the model and market among employers and workers for
recruitment practices that create a more stable and productive workforce. By working
with growers in the U.S. to create rights-respecting opportunities for several thousand
workers over the last six years, CIERTO has unlocked an estimated $98 million in
pre-tax income gains for participating workers, over and above the Mexican minimum
wage, improving the livelihoods of participating workers.
The Foundation’s 2022 funding allows CIERTO to pilot its ethical model to legally recruit
over 9,500 Guatemalan farmworkers who would otherwise be at risk of migrating to
the U.S. in search of employment. Guatemalan workers are currently underrepresented
in the H-2A labor pool, accounting for less than one percent of all H-2A visas. The
Foundation’s support helps level the playing field for Guatemalan workers by offering
U.S. growers incentives of up to $500 per worker to offset the logistical cost of recruiting,
training and transporting Guatemalan workers under the H-2A program. As of the end
of 2022, CIERTO is meeting its recruitment targets, securing contracts for over 556
Guatemalan workers and brokering contracts for additional 600 workers.

40. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 37

41. FOOD SECURITY 38
DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE
For nearly a decade, the Foundation has made a big bet on agriculture in Rwanda.
While this tiny, land-locked country of a thousand hills is not the most obvious place to
invest to transform agricultural systems, the strength of its government institutions and
its willingness to partner on conservation-based solutions at scale meant it was the ideal
partner for our Foundation. Our investments to date range from building capacity and
leadership to working to transform smallholder agriculture and the systems supporting
farmers.
INVESTING IN LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING IN AGRICULTURE
In 2015, the Foundation partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to launch
the College of Agriculture and Natural Resource’s Undergraduate Scholars Program
(CUSP), providing more than $47 million in scholarships and fellowship opportunities to
200 Rwandan students. Participating students committed to return to Rwanda to work
in the agriculture sector for at least five years, to form a cadre of well-trained and skilled
leaders working to support Rwanda’s long-term targets for agricultural growth.
CUSP scholars graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Science after four
years of in-classroom and experiential learning emphasizing conservation agriculture,
leadership and entrepreneurship. Students also explore specialty areas related to
agriculture, including soils, water quality and availability, nutrition, food safety, food
engineering and processing, engineering, irrigation, mechanization, and technology. The
experiential learning component is delivered through technical trainings and seminars,
research with UNL faculty and industry mentors in Rwanda.
Seven years into the program, CUSP scholars have proven to be innovative researchers,
engaged learners and thoughtful leaders. Many students have made the Dean’s List,
pioneered new research alongside faculty, served in student government and volunteered
their time in community organizations. As of December 2022, 144 scholars graduated
from the program (many with honors and distinction) and the remaining 41 are expected
to graduate in 2023, representing a 92 percent graduation rate overall.
To help students meet their scholarship’s post-graduation requirements, the CUSP
program has partnered with the Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources
(MINAGRI), Rwanda Education Board, Rwanda Agriculture Board and talent placement
provider Bridge2Rwanda to connect graduates with employers in Rwanda for jobs,
post-graduate fellowships and internships. The Foundation-funded Rwanda Institute
for Conservation Agriculture has also offered CUSP scholars internships, experiential
learning programs and employment and fellowship opportunities. Unfortunately, despite
this robust network, many scholars have to date failed to fulfill their scholarship’s post-

42. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 39
*144 CUSP scholars have graduated UNL; an additional 41 students will graduate in May 2023 – their post-graduation plans are to be determined.
**Students whose post-graduation status is unknown (16) or who are currently employed in the U.S. (5)
Graduate School
OPT Visa
Returned to Rwanda
Other**
43%
32%
14%
11%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Despite achieving these important milestones, RICA continues to face unique challenges
towards reaching a steady-state operational model. Campus construction has been
more difficult and costly than anticipated, exacerbated by the global pandemic and
the sheer ambition of the project exceeding the capabilities of our architecture and
construction partners. To address these shortcomings, RICA has had to build its own
construction and construction management capacity simultaneously while operating a
higher education institution. As the main campus construction comes to an end, RICA
will directly take on the challenge of overseeing a new phase of campus construction
that includes additional housing for faculty and staff as RICA’s rural location more than
two hours’ drive from Kigali continues to be a challenge to attracting and retaining staff
and faculty.
The Foundation remains committed to supporting RICA’s operations and RICA’s
planning to develop an operational model that is no longer dependent solely on the
Foundation’s resources. As the first cohort of RICA students prepares to graduate in
August 2023, more focus will be put on shifting RICA operations from start-up mode to
a more predicable operational model. RICA is also hard at work preparing for the first
cohort of graduates to use their degrees and experience at RICA to support Rwanda’s
national ambitions for agriculture, particularly in encouraging entrepreneurial pursuits.
RICA’s new Entrepreneurship Fund allows students to apply for support for business
plans, and several student groups have already demonstrated success in developing
ideas with real-world market potential.
In 2022, RICA students traveled in groups of 20 students at a time to NAICO to visit the
solar plant, pump station, and to observe harvest, land prep and planting by NAICO
farmers. Students also visited with NAICO farmers to learn about their cooperative
structure and extension needs, hybrid seed production, and visited with agro dealers.
Finally, with financial support from the Foundation, One Acre Fund is working with RICA
to build a Seed Centre of Excellence on RICA’s campus to support Rwanda’s seed
sector development. The Seed Centre will offer business-to-business services to make
it easier for Rwanda’s seed industry to get high-quality seed to farmers. Services will
include: variety selection and parent seed services; field inspection and quality testing;
professional certification for seed breeders; processing and storage services; and seed
marketing and sales services. The Centre will include three units of technical excellence:
(1) a dedicated potato project to produce disease-free potato; (2) a multi-grain facility to
provide shared processing for startup seed companies; and (3) a seed innovation lab to
work with Rwandan institutions to find the best seed varieties for Rwandan farmers. RICA
students will also benefit from the opportunity to learn from and engage in development
of Rwanda’s seed sector.
graduation requirement, instead opting to pursue employment opportunities in the
United States. This program has underscored the difficulty of funding scholarships for
study in the United States when the goal is to build capacity in a student’s home country.
Post-Graduation Plans for CUSP Graduates
Despite this significant shortcoming of the original goal of the program, CUSP has been
the catalyst for several partnerships established between Rwanda and Nebraska and
created a platform for increasing research collaboration between MINAGRI and UNL.
Areas of collaboration include site-specific crop management; One Health; water quality;
hydroponics; nematode biodiversity; meat safety; coffee trading policies in African
countries; social and economic well-being of farm and ranch management in eastern
Africa; business ecosystem of smallholder irrigation in Rwanda; conservation principles;
and streamlined access to financial and technology services for rural farmers in Rwanda.
TRANSFORMING AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IN RWANDA
In 2022, the Foundation-funded Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA)
achieved a number of milestones:
• The third and final cohort of 84 students began the three-year degree program in
conservation agriculture;
• Campus construction neared completion for RICA’s main facilities;
• The Foundation contributed $1.3 million to establish an Entrepreneurship Fund to
support RICA’s mission to promote entrepreneurship among its students;
• The Foundation committed to further expansion of the campus footprint, adding
more housing capacity for faculty and staff;
• RICA’s extension activities included having RICA students visit and learn from the
Foundation-funded Nasho Irrigation Cooperative (NAICO);
• RICA and the Foundation partnered with One Acre Fund on a $16.8 million plan to
construct a Seed Centre of Excellence at RICA to support Rwanda’s seed sector
and further connect RICA’s education and research to addressing the real-world
challenges affecting Rwanda’s agriculture sector.

43. FOOD SECURITY 40
$-
$250
$500
$750
$1,000
$1,250
$1,500
0
5 00
1 ,00 0
1 ,50 0
2,000
2,500
3,000
B as elin e
2 01 7A
2 01 7B
2 01 8A
2 01 8B
2 01 9A
2 01 9B
2 02 0A
2 02 0B
2021A
2021B
2 02 2A
2 02 2B
USD / hectare
Kg / hectare
Pulse Productivity and Revenue
Productivity (kg/ha )Revenue (usd/ha)
$-
$ 50 0
$ 1,0 0 0
$1,500
$ 2,0 0 0
0
2 ,00 0
4 ,00 0
6 ,00 0
8 ,00 0
B as el i n e
2017A
2017B
2018A
2018B
2019A
2019B
2020A
2020B
2021A
2021B
2022A
2022B
USD / Hectare
Kg / Hectare
Maize Productivity and Revenue
Productivity (kg/ha )Revenue (usd/ha)
AN UPDATE ON NASHO’S SMALLHOLDER IRRIGATION COOPERATIVE
In 2016, the Foundation and the Government of Rwanda (GoR) established NAICO,
comprised of 63 center pivots irrigating 2,899 acres (1,173 hectares) of farmland
belonging to nearly 2,000 smallholder farmers. Our goal: demonstrate an agriculture
model that improves livelihoods for smallholder farmers who own and farm their land.
Topline Measures of Success
By all measures, NAICO has made substantial progress towards this goal. A pre-
irrigation baseline assessment and mid-term impact assessment (MTIA) conducted
by the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), combined with seasonal surveys, confirms
NAICO’s farmers have experienced significant improvements in productivity, revenue
and income across crops. According to the 2020 MTIA, from 2016 to 2020, the total
average annual household income for NAICO members increased from approximately
$277 USD to $1,227 USD (+343 percent), significantly out-performing the 38 percent
income increase seen by non-NAICO members. Other achievements include:
• Members have recorded significantly higher average maize, soybean and bean
yields than neighboring farmers every season since the start of the project.
• NAICO farmers reported that increased incomes have improved their quality of life,
rapidly increased the value of their land and allowed more of their children to access
higher education.
• NAICO farmers mainly attribute their success to the irrigation system’s diminishing
the risk of a devastating drought. When a farmer doesn’t live in fear of drought, they
are more willing to invest in inputs and adopt innovative practices that often result in
higher yields. Without an irrigation system, the farmers report they would revert to
limiting their investment exposure because they must be prepared to lose an entire
harvest to drought.
The bottom line, according to survey results: NAICO farmers view farming at NAICO
as a difficult but rewarding profession that provides a stable and respectable
avenue to prosperity.
Productivity and Revenue Improvements by Crop
NAICO farmers improved maize yields nearly 2.7 times more than other local farmers.
NAICO regularly exceeds their maize production target of 5 T/Ha (74.4 bushels/acre),
while vastly outperforming the 1.5 T/Ha (22.3 bushels/acre) achieved by non-NAICO
farmers and the 1.2 T/Ha (17.8 bushels/acre) they were achieving prior to the start of
the project. During season 2022B, maize production fell to 4.7 T/Ha (69.9 bushels/acre)
due to plant disease (northern leaf blight) and inconsistency of available seed. Despite
these challenges, some of NAICO’s more innovative farmers continue to realize yields of
up to 10 T/Ha (148.7 bushels/acre). NAICO’s maize gross revenues have increased from
$254 USD/Ha in 2016 to $1,895 USD/Ha in 2022B.
According to the 2020 MTIA, NAICO farmers have recorded 1.8 to 2.6 times higher
soybean and bean (pulses) yields as compared to non-NAICO farmers every season
since the start of the project. As of 2022B, NAICO had still not met its goal of increasing
pulse productivity from its baseline of 0.98T/Ha (14.6 bushels/acre) to 2.5 T/Ha (37.2
bushels/acre). Season 2022B’s pulse productivity was 1.6 T/Ha (23.8 bushels/acre).
However, pulse revenue has increased from $431 USD/Ha in 2016 to $1,202 in 2022B.
The main obstacle in NAICO achieving its 2.5 T/Ha is access to high-yielding seed
varieties. NAICO is addressing this challenge by working with the Rwandan government
and private companies to multiply a significant portion of their own seed.
Benefits from Best Agronomic Practices
Agronomic practices introduced and supported by NAICO agronomists have shown
significant positive impact on yield sizes and tolerance to shocks such as insects,
drought and fungus. In 2017, farmers required up to three months to complete planting
in a pivot which made irrigation inefficient. By season 2021A, farmers needed only 11
days. By 2022B, this was down to four days for a majority of pivots.

44. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 41
Planting in rows (baseline 73.6 percent) was not a common practice at the beginning
of the project. It took at least three seasons and frequent training for farmers to adopt
this practice. Since 2020, 99.8 percent for beneficiaries and 90.8 percent for non-
beneficiaries have adopted the practice. Also, conservation agriculture practices like
mulching, cover crops, crop rotation, etc. experienced a dramatic increase. NAICO
farmers also increased their level of inputs relative to neighboring farmers, particularly
their use of inorganic and organic fertilizers, fungicides and insecticides, certified seed,
and post-harvest insect control.
In a survey conducted in 2022, NAICO farmers identified the two most important
practices they have adopted:
1. Planting in rows to make it easier to harvest, weed and apply fertilizer and
pesticides.
2. Targeted application of fertilizers to use them more effectively and cost efficiently.
Other practices NAICO farmers have adopted include:
• Increased Use of Fertilizers: DAP and urea application increased from less
than 20 percent in 2019B to over 70 percent in 2021B. In addition, during the
past three years, 78 percent of farmers applied rhizobia for the first time to boost
common bean and soybean yields.
• Application of Lime: At the end of season 2019B, soil sampling and testing was
conducted at each pivot to determine lime requirements. Results revealed that
27 percent of fields were ‘moderately to very acidic’ and 78 percent were ‘slightly
to very slightly acidic’. In response, NAICO farmers applied lime during seasons
2020A, 2020B and 2021A.
• Fungicide Application: During season 2020A, soybeans were infected by fungal
diseases that resulted in an average productivity decline from 1.50 T/Ha (22.3
bushels/acre) to 0.45 T/Ha (6.7 bushels/acre). During season 2020B, farmers
applied fungicides in soybean fields and subsequently yields increased to 1.74 T/
Ha (25.9 bushels/acre) and revenue increased 260 percent.
Another indicator of NAICO’s success is that many non-NAICO farmers are also
adopting NAICO’s best practices.
Progress Towards Self-Sustainability
NAICO is already self-governing, with cooperative leaders and technical staff trained to
manage cooperative resources, operate and maintain irrigation infrastructure, establish
internal rules and regulations and provide extension services to members. Part of this
self-governance includes a five-year business plan to guide the cooperative’s activities.
Key recommendations from the business plan have already been implemented,
including reducing staff expenditures to reflect local industry norms, reinstating non-
flood adjusted membership fees, increasing education on using targeted inputs to
improve yields, and expanding the share of farmer yields sold through the cooperative.
Farmers have also agreed to establish a rotation schedule to make land available for
seed and/or french bean production.
The business plan also calls for increasing farmers’ contributions to NAICO’s
sustainability fund, which finances extension services and operates and maintains
NAICO’s irrigation infrastructure. In 2022B, 93 percent of NAICO’s farmers contributed
to the fund’s current balance of approximately $780,000 USD. To mitigate future risk,
NAICO’s General Assembly voted to require members to save at least 10 percent of
their net revenue in a program NAICO created called Vision NAICO. Members are
organized into saving groups at the pivot cluster level and as of 2022B, there were 37
savings groups with 851 members.
An unintentional result of NAICO’s success in increasing incomes is that NAICO’s
costs to sublease land are increasing to the point where NAICO will soon find it difficult
to sublease land needed for seed and french bean production.
Availability and Affordability of Key Inputs Remain a Barrier
A number of barriers to NAICO’s continued success remain:
• Certified Seed Scarcity: Preferred seed varieties for maize, bean and soybean
continue to be difficult to source. Use of certified maize seed by NAICO farmers
increased from a baseline 62 percent at the time of the launch to nearly 100
percent in 2022B and certified soybean seed adoption has reached 95 percent.
However, utilization drops during periods when certified seed varieties are not
available, as in season 2019B, when the shortage of certified maize seed led
to only a 20 percent utilization. To reduce the risk of market availability, NAICO
produced 130MT (143.3 tons) of certified maize seed and 415 MT (457 tons) of
certified soybean seed in 2022B.
• Affordability of Key Inputs: Farmers view inorganic fertilizers, fungicides and
insecticides as critical to their success but not affordable, a situation exacerbated
by inflation and disrupted global supply chains.
• Power Availability and Reliability: A Foundation-funded 30kV transmission
line upgrade is complete but not yet commissioned, leaving NAICO’s irrigation
system dependent on lower quality, and less reliable back-up power. Currently the
system’s pumps operate at approximately 60 percent of their full capacity.
While the Foundation played a critical role in the creation of NAICO, it is now clear that
the farmers are leading the way to their own productivity and prosperity.

45. FOOD SECURITY 42
NAICO FARMERS SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVES
On October 21, 2022, the Conflict and Development Foundation conducted a qualitative
focus group survey of 10 NAICO pivot leaders and four NAICO agronomists to hear their
views on the project.
• NAICO farmers attribute NAICO’s irrigation infrastructure and leadership to its
success in improving farmer incomes, productivity, confidence and standards of
living for nearly 100 percent of NAICO farmers.
• The vast majority of NAICO farmers believe they are better off now than they were
before NAICO, and that they are better off than farmers located outside of the
cooperative.
• NAICO agronomists said the Government of Rwanda often sends agronomists to
NAICO to learn best practices.
• The NAICO farmers also attributed their success to:
ºNAICO’s investment in long-term soil fertility though the application of lime,
conservation agriculture practices like maintaining a permanent soil cover,
erosion control and other improved practices
ºNAICO member benefits like access to credit, seed, fertilizer, pesticide and
training.
• Every respondent agreed that the Government of Rwanda and development
organizations should support the creation of additional irrigation cooperatives like
NAICO.
• A future irrigation cooperative like NAICO should addresses any farmer hesitation to
joining a cooperative like NAICO by encouraging the farmers to visit NAICO to see
the success for themselves.

46. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 43
Top right: Crop residue left behind by Pivot 40’s hand harvesting makes mechanized planting more difficult. It was
necessary to stop the planter regularly to avoid residue blockages but the end result was good.
Bottom right: Farmers from Pivot 40 pull weeds by hand as the soybean crop–planted mechanically–shows good
germination through the prior season’s maize residue.
Photos: HGBF
THE INNOVATORS OF PIVOT 40
Among NAICO’s 63 center pivots, the farmers of “Pivot 40” have a history of being
leaders in crop production and farmer mobilization. It is a smaller group of 29 farmers
who own and work the pivot’s 14.2 ha (35.1 acres). They quickly learned to coordinate
farming activities and complete them in as short a time as possible, like planting the
whole pivot in three days, paying contributions to the cooperative early in the season,
and planting a season C crop one year. Most farmers on Pivot 40 are no longer removing
crop residue, and most are doing minimal tillage by scraping the surface instead of
turning the soil with a hoe.
The Foundation approached the farmers of Pivot 40 to propose planting their fields
mechanically for a service fee, both to see how it might improve crop production and
to understand if mechanization might be economically viable for the rest of NAICO’s
farmers. Pivot 40 is also one of the flattest pivots in Nasho, with soils draining well
and minimal erosion so it makes for an ideal test site. Planting time will improve only
marginally given the short planting period they have already achieved by hand but the
real potential is improving the germination rate, and therefore yields, with mechanized
planting, especially through the heavier crop residue left behind from hand harvesting.
In the coming seasons, we are collecting data to learn the following:
• What service fees are farmers willing to pay for mechanization and are they sufficient
to cover the equipment’s all-in costs?
• How have crop yields changed with mechanization?
• How have farmers’ net profits changed with mechanization?
• What other benefits and challenges does mechanization introduce?

49. CONFLICT MITIGATION 46
Right: Explosive detection K-9s train to search for unexploded ordnance in the remnants of a home destroyed by
Russian shelling.
Opposite page: A demining team member prepares to place a detonating cord on an unexploded ordnance. The line
is run back to a safe distance before being detonated.
RESPONDING TO A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONFLICT IN UKRAINE
One of the longest-lasting consequences of war are the land mines and unexploded
ordnance left behind. For context: six years after ending its 50-year conflict with the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the government of Colombia continues
its decades-long effort to painstakingly survey and remove land mines from the rural
countryside. This is essential to allow agricultural production and basic commerce to
resume and develop.
Ukraine is just beginning to grapple with this reality of modern warfare. In less than a
year of active conflict, Bloomberg estimates almost half of Ukraine’s land area, roughly
116,000 square miles, needs to be surveyed for potential explosives left behind by Russian
forces. Much of the area in need of demining is productive agricultural land that cannot
be planted or harvested until free of mines. Reporting in Foreign Policy documented the
victim-activated, anti-personnel devices left behind by retreating Russian forces in food
facilities, car trunks, washing machines, hospital beds, dead bodies and even toys and
shiny objects likely to attract attention from children. This is in direct violation of the rules
of war and land mine regulations set by the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which Russia did
not sign. Demining operators estimate that even if the conflict had ended in 2022 it would
take over 10 years to fully clear Ukraine of land mines.
Recognizing the destabilizing role of land mines, especially in agriculture, and Ukraine’s
need to ramp up demining efforts concurrently while defending against the Russian
invasion, the Foundation provided $20 million to the State Emergency Services of
Ukraine (SES) to equip 12 new demining teams. The SES is the government agency that
assists civilians during emergencies. SES is building Ukraine’s capacity for humanitarian
demining, which will continue to be necessary long after the war ends.
The Foundation provided additional support to SES to secure the first mechanical
minesweepers in Ukraine, which will have the capacity to clear large swathes of land
quickly and remotely, thus minimizing the risk for manual mine clearance teams. The
Foundation also provided SES with 10 explosive detection canines, along with their
necessary equipment, food, training, handling needs and transport vehicles.

50. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 47

51. CONFLICT MITIGATION 48
Mayerly Sánchez, a participant in a Foundation-funded program implemented by Mercy Corps, substituted 1.3
hectares of coca for high-quality coffee, obtained legal ownership of her land and increased her income from
$4,200 in 2019 to $8,800 in 2022. Mayerly won the National Rural Woman Award in 2021 for her work as a
peacebuilder and community leader. (Photo courtesy of Mercy Corps)
A more scalable and innovative demining solution is in development thanks to the
Foundation’s support. The software development company SecuRED is combining
artificial intelligence and mapping technology to develop drone software that can identify
land mines in fields, in real time and without human interaction. This unique automated
drone technology could substantially increase Ukraine’s capacity to demine quickly and
safely, saving lives in the process.
Finally, to bring in more outside expertise, the Foundation provided a $4 million grant
to the Danish Refugee Council, a humanitarian organization working on humanitarian
demining for decades. Our grant will equip and train five mine-clearance teams and two
non-technical survey teams to clear an estimated 430,000 square meters (106 acres) of
land from land mine contamination in 2023 and 2024.
POST-CONFLICT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN COLOMBIA
When Colombia’s 50-year conflict with the FARC ended in 2016, the real work began.
Many rural communities had no connection to the national government, and many rural
farmers were dependent on coca production, the base ingredient in cocaine. Finding
viable alternative crops and livelihoods, and a program to help farmers substitute their
coca for these alternatives, is the single biggest barrier to Colombia’s post-conflict
recovery and economic development.
In 2018, the Foundation set out to test models for voluntary substitution of coca crops in
Colombia. We sought viable alternative crops that would be profitable, have established
value chains and a guaranteed market for farmers to access–the very things that make
coca so attractive and viable to smallholder farmers. We partnered with the Colombian
National Coffee Federation (FNC) for a coca-to-coffee substitution pilot with 100 farmers
in El Rosario, Nariño, and with Mercy Corps for a substitution and land titling project
in Cauca. Several years into the implementation of these programs, we are starting
to see how well-designed substitution projects can work for individual farmers and for
Colombia.
Almost two years after the completion of our initial FNC pilot project, farmers in El Rosario
are beginning to see the benefits. Participating farmers eradicated a total of 24.5 hectares
(60.5 acres) of coca and planted 19.5 hectares (48.2 acres) of coffee. They also planted
over 5,000 agroforestry trees for shade, soil conservation and water uptake regulation.
According to the FNC data from 2021, income from coffee is an estimated 14 percent
higher than the income farmers made from their pre-program coca sales. This was due
to both high coffee prices as well as an increase in farmers’ coffee productivity from the
technical assistance provided by the project. The program continues to improve incomes
for farmers who substituted their illicit crops. Home gardens planted during the project
also provided on average $1,700 in savings per beneficiary. The success of this project
is due partly to the purchase guarantee and premiums offered by the project’s market
partner, Nespresso, which gave farmers an extra incentive to sell their coffee directly
through the local cooperative rather than through costly middlemen. Over $23,000 were
paid in premiums by Nespresso to farmers, and coffee sales in El Rosario more than
doubled between 2018 and 2020, increasing from 238,000 pounds to 593,000 pounds.
This pilot has since been expanded to additional farmers in the community, who were
encouraged by the success of their neighbors.

52. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 49
Participants in our much larger Mercy Corps pilot in Cauca, also launched in 2018, have
also achieved positive early results. Farmers eradicated an estimated 1,800 hectares
(4,448 acres) of coca, saw a 68 percent increase in annual coffee income and a 20
percent increase in their coffee productivity. Farmers were able to increase production
from an average 2,856 pounds of coffee sold per farmer before our project, to 3,436
pounds sold per farmer in 2022. Even more importantly, incomes from coffee sales
were 2.4 times the income farmers received from coca sales before the project. This
program also included a long-term incentive for participants who removed their coca
to continue to only grow legal crops: securing the title to their land. Many rural farmers
have no formal proof that they own the land they farm. Our program helps participants
navigate the laborious bureaucratic process to secure their actual land title. Farmers
with documentation of ownership of their land can now access credit, which allows
them to improve on and get more from their land. It also means that if they revert to
growing coca, they can lose their land.
These projects provide early evidence that rural farmers can earn more by growing
legal crops instead of coca. External factors such as high global coffee prices certainly
also contributed to the higher incomes, but our partners on the ground have seen very
few farmers abandoning the program to go back to growing coca. Farmers want to
grow legal crops as long as they can earn a reasonable income. So far, these projects
are demonstrating that incomes are being matched, and additional benefits like land
titling, purchase guarantees and productive infrastructure have had positive impacts on
participants and their communities at large.
RECOVERING LIVELIHOODS IN TIBÚ
The Foundation continues to prioritize its work in Colombia in the Catatumbo region.
Located near the border with Venezuela, Catatumbo’s residents have long suffered
violence and forced displacement due to the presence of illegal armed groups. While
the signing of the 2016 peace accord with the FARC generated a short-lived decrease in
violence, other illegal armed groups like the National Liberation Army (ELN) and smaller
drug trafficking groups continue to operate in the region as they fight for control of
coca production. In 2020, violence in Catatumbo peaked, forcibly displacing over 1,000
people, generating a humanitarian crisis. The impact of this violence has destabilized
communities like Tibú, a municipality where the Foundation has prioritized its investments
since 2019.
To support peace and development in Tibú, the Foundation partnered with WFP to
provide short-term food assistance and transitional support to 433 IDPs–182 families–
fleeing violence in the two communities of Barco La Silla and Totumito Carboneras. The
goals of the program are three-fold:
1. Ensure families’ immediate access to food while displaced and as they return home;
2. Promote the early recovery of farmer livelihoods through productive projects;
3. Strengthen community organization, with an emphasis on improving women’s
leadership, financial and organizational skills.
During the project’s initial four months, families received monthly food baskets with 30
pounds of food to meet recommended caloric and nutritional needs while they began
strengthening their production capacity. Given limited access to animal protein in Tibú,
families chose to strengthen livestock production lines for improved self-consumption
and commercialization. Families received kits to farm eggs, chicken and fish and
technical training over five months until they were able to yield results. WFP also worked
with participants to develop business plans to market their products, and 80 community
leaders received training to strengthen their organizational, leadership and financial
management skills.
Families reported notable improvements in their food security and nutrition by the end
of the project. Twenty-three percent of households said they no longer needed to limit
food portions or restrict consumption to make ends meet. Households also reported
improvements to their livelihoods with the number of families forced to sell productive
assets or reduce health expenses down from 41.9 percent to 19.4 percent.
The Foundation’s peacebuilding strategy in Catatumbo seeks to strengthen communities
like these by fostering economic opportunity and supporting farmers to rebuild sustainable
livelihoods.
BREAKING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN EL SALVADOR
El Salvador’s steady decline in homicides over the past six years–falling from 105 per
100,000 in 2015 to 18 per 100,00 in 2021–ended in March 2022 when gangs committed
87 murders over four days. The Salvadoran government responded to the sudden spike in
homicides by instituting severe anti-gang emergency measures, including mass arrests,
many with little to no due process. Although the Foundation ended our investments
in citizen security in El Salvador over a year ago because of the deteriorating political
situation, we had made progress identifying better alternatives to government-led “mano
duro” (strong hand) policies. One example of that work is with Glasswing International in
the city of San Juan Opico.
At the root of El Salvador’s epidemic of violence is a cycle of trauma and retribution that
transforms victims into future victimizers. According to the World Health Organization,
victims are 5.5 times more likely to commit violence than non-victims.

53. CONFLICT MITIGATION 50
Unfortunately, Glasswing’s progress towards improving police service provision in San
Juan Opico was undermined by the institution’s role in enforcing pandemic emergency
measures. At the outset of the pandemic, the Salvadoran government reoriented law
enforcement towards crisis response and ensuring compliance with mobility restrictions.
The tensions this created at the community level were evident in the perception surveys
that Glasswing used. Although Glasswing believes the project would have made
progress with the easing of pandemic restrictions, the ongoing state of emergency in
El Salvador due to gang violence would have posed a significant obstacle to improving
community/police relations and trauma-informed service provision. Additionally,
convening stakeholders from across target schools, hospitals and precincts that were
at the frontlines of responding to the country’s public health crisis proved increasingly
difficult with each successive wave of the pandemic, forcing Glasswing to defer integrated
programming that was central to its model.
CREATING COMMUNITY ROOTING IN GUATEMALA AND HONDURAS
U.S. border authorities recorded a record 2.38 million unauthorized crossings of the
United States’ southern border during fiscal year 2022. That historic flow of migrants is
a result of many complicated push and pull factors, including the pandemic, economic
downturns, surges in violence from both nonstate actors and authoritarian governments
and national immigration policies. Over 150,000 of the individuals apprehended by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection were unaccompanied minors, with even more children
and young adults arriving in family units. Many of the children, teenagers and young
adults who arrive to our border have completely lost hope of ever having a future in their
communities of origin–they have little access to quality education and even more limited
access to quality employment. Many seek reunification with a parent who migrated to
the United States years earlier.
The Foundation-funded Youth Impact Leaders program with Glasswing International
is designed to address many of the factors compelling young people to leave their
home communities in search of a better life in the United States. A key element of the
program is connecting youth to their home communities, both to improve them through
community development work and to feel a part of them. The project brings AmeriCorps-
style service-learning programming to the Central American context for the first time
and in doing so, offers hundreds of Hondurans and Guatemalans, ages 15 to 22, the
opportunity to earn a stipend to complete paid internships in community organizations.
The pilot has so far proved successful in increasing community rooting and household
financial stability, with only 0.3 percent of participating youth choosing to migrate, despite
68 percent of them having family already living in the United States. This is particularly
Yet, public services in El Salvador consistently fail to meet the basic needs of victims,
and public hospitals fail to provide psychosocial assistance to victims of violence, which
prolongs their trauma. The police, many of whom are themselves victims of overexposure
to trauma, often lack emotional coping skills, undercutting force readiness and resulting
in police who may use excessive force. Teachers struggle to help traumatized students
learn and stay in school. These less-noticed forms of violence, together with continued
gang violence, degrade El Salvador’s social fabric by contributing to high levels of toxic
stress and trauma, creating new generations of victimizers.
To address these challenges, the Foundation partnered with Glasswing International in
the city of San Juan Opico to work with community schools, police and health centers
to strengthen existing services so that they can prevent and mitigate the causes and
consequences of violence through integrated, evidence-based programming and
strategies. Although Glasswing was unable to fully execute its community-based
prevention model because of contextual hurdles and the closure of our citizen security
programs, they made significant progress during the first two-and-a-half years of the
project. Glasswing converted the San Juan Opico police into a trauma-informed agency,
enabling officers to better care for themselves and those they serve. They also increased
the socio-emotional skills of at-risk youth through after-school programming, and
implemented hospital-based violence prevention programs that significantly reduced
re-hospitalization among violent crime victims. These initial gains demonstrate what can
be achieved by focusing on building community resilience to prevent violence-at an
individual, family, and institutional level.
WALDIR | NURSE, SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL
“I’ve been working as a hospital nurse in the Intensive Care
Unit of the San Rafael Hospital since 2020. That same year,
I started participating in the Healing Wounds program where
I learned about trauma-informed care. I now know how to
care for patients from the second they come in until they
are ready to leave. I’ve learned to be present and to really
listen to them. Our care is more than just treating a wound–
patients come in with a lot of psychological stress and are emotionally burdened.
Thanks to the training, I can provide more comprehensive treatment. The Healing
Wounds program has also helped me personally. It has helped me manage my
workload and my stress level.”

54. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 51
governments, can pursue these opportunities in the short term. The goal is to surface
other visa programs in the region like the United States’ H-2 guest worker visa program
that can help vulnerable people in the hemisphere migrate for better paying jobs in a
safe, legal and cyclical manner.
Safe, efficient and well-regulated labor mobility can dramatically improve the lives of
economically precarious Latin Americans, through remittances back to home countries
and by addressing the labor needs of host countries. In the absence of such legal
pathways, migrants are vulnerable to irregular migration, prompted by economic and
climate shocks, violence, security threats and exploitation.
significant given that program beneficiaries are at high-risk for irregular migration given
contexts of poverty, lack of access to education and health services and previous
attempts to migrate. Though participants could still migrate months or even years after
completing the program due to factors the intervention was not designed to address (like
violence, for example), in the near-term, they are using the stipends they earn to improve
their family’s financial stability, spending it mostly on household utilities (38 percent), food
expenses (21 percent) and education (13 percent).
Glasswing has also engaged the private sector in the program to offer mentorships and
potential job opportunities to program graduates, helping to further strengthen what
will hopefully become a long-lasting, regional youth service program along the lines of
AmeriCorps in the United States.
The program has already received praise from governments and the private sector,
attracting interest from other donors, including the U.S. government, whose additional
funding support would help ensure its long-term viability. Based on the program’s early
successes, the Foundation has approved an extension of the pilot so that it can continue
to demonstrate the impact of this type of youth engagement in the Central American
context. The extended pilot will directly benefit more than 13,000 young people in
Honduras and Guatemala.
Though the Foundation’s initial investment in this pilot cannot by any means solve the
hemisphere’s migration crisis, it is an example of the kind of creative, investment-based
solution that works to address some of the root causes of why young people migrate.
CATALYZING REGIONAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS FOR LATIN AMERICA
The current scale of the migration crisis in the western hemisphere requires two things: (1)
regional migration management solutions that provide economically desperate people a
legal way to migrate; (2) more investment in “root causes” in countries of origin so people
can live and prosper in their home countries. Much of the Foundation’s grantmaking
in Latin America is about investing in (2). In 2022, the Foundation also expanded on
its investments in (1) by providing funding to Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP), an
organization that works to expand safe and legal channels for workers to access quality
jobs across borders.
LaMP is looking at existing legal migration mechanisms that have the potential to be
expanded to provide more labor migration pathways not just to the United States, but to
other countries with labor shortages in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. LaMP’s
work will also include pre-vetted potential partners so that interested funders, including

55. CONFLICT MITIGATION 52
Right: Josephine is a young Ugandan woman who was tricked into moving to an ADF camp in eastern DRC
by her husband. Life became a nightmare. Three of her children died before the age of one. She tried to flee but
was captured by ADF fighters who cut off her hand as punishment. She was finally able to successfully escape
with her youngest child but left two behind in the camp. Josephine suffers from symptoms of PTSD from her
traumatic experience and guilt at having left behind her other children. She and her daughter are receiving mental
health treatment and protection at a Foundation-funded deradicalization center in Kampala, Uganda. The center
provides food, housing and supportive services to escapees in the hopes of encouraging fighters to defect.
PREVENTING MASS ATROCITIES IN NORTH KIVU
In 2022, the Foundation renewed our financial support for the Kivu Security Tracker (KST)
in collaboration with the Bridgeway Foundation, the Congo Research Group (CRG) and
Human Rights Watch. The KST records violent incidents committed by armed groups
and members of the Congolese security forces in Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC)’s North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. There are currently over 120 armed
groups operating in eastern DRC. Among those is the Islamic State’s affiliate in DRC,
locally referred to as the ADF, which has gained international attention in the last year
for its increasing brutality. The U.S. State Department has designated the ADF a foreign
terrorist organization. The mass atrocities groups like the ADF commit in remote regions
of the DRC highlight the critical need for this early warning system and tracker.
Through maps, graphs and analysis, the KST helps explain patterns, trends, causes of
insecurity and serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. To
date, the KST has collected over 11,000 incidents, affecting more than 21,700 victims,
and is building greater understanding of the complex dynamics behind the regular but
often overlooked violence in this part of the world. According to Bridgeway’s analysis of
KST data, the ADF’s area of operation is now four times larger than it was in 2017, and
their levels of violence continue to grow. By July of 2021, the ADF had committed more
double-digit massacres during the calendar year than in all of 2020.
Despite the clear ideological motives driving ADF leadership and boosting recent
recruitment, Bridgeway’s debriefs of former fighters shed light on another subset of
ADF members: the forced conscripts. These are Congolese and foreign members of the
group who have been kidnapped or tricked into joining and fight simply for their own
survival. While military operations are necessary to defeat the ideological leadership,
providing alternatives to conflict can encourage voluntary defections of members who
were coerced, tricked into joining or are among the disillusioned rank-and-file.
To help encourage voluntary defections, the Foundation, in partnership with Bridgeway,
is piloting a community sensitization program in Beni and southern Ituri to establish safe
reporting sites for potential ADF defectors and improve reintegration efforts. The goal
is to weaken the capacity of the ADF to commit crimes against civilians. The program
works with the community to set up local defection points, prepare communities to
receive defectors and provide alternatives to would-be recruits and collaborators.

56. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 53
Left: These Afghan girls are among the 250 students, faculty and staff who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban
reclaimed power in August 2021. The School of Leadership Afghanistan found sanctuary in Rwanda, allowing the
girls to continue their education. The Foundation provided funding to cover the relocation and operating costs in
Rwanda for their first academic year. (Photo courtesy of SOLA)
POST-CONFLICT RESCUE AND RECOVERY FOR AFGHANS
In August 2021, after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban took
control of Kabul and with it, the government of Afghanistan. Thousands fled the country
in the following days and weeks, the largest mass evacuation since the Vietnam War.
Among those who escaped were the students and educators of Afghanistan’s first and
only all-girls boarding school, the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA). SOLA, in
the process of building a new campus in Kabul, had adopted a boarding school model
to allow its students safety from the threats and violence they faced in Afghanistan for
pursuing an education, and from the expectations of doing domestic chores that often
interfere with studying.
As the Taliban’s takeover became clear, SOLA’s founder, Shabana Basij-Rasikh, burned
the school’s records to protect her students and their families before evacuating nearly
250 members of the SOLA community–students, staff and family members–to Kigali,
Rwanda. SOLA chose Rwanda at the invitation of the country’s President, Paul Kagame.
In September 2021, with our significant work in Rwanda, past investments in agriculture
in Afghanistan and our interest in mitigating the effects of the Taliban’s takeover on those
who were forced to flee the conflict, the Foundation granted SOLA $1.5 million to cover
the first year of operations in Rwanda. The grant had three strategic objectives:
1. Maintain continuity of learning for SOLA students in Rwanda;
2. Open pathways for older students to pursue opportunities at boarding schools
and universities in the United States, and for the non-student community to pursue
immigration opportunities to Canada;
3. Begin a new admissions season no later than early 2022, with the intent to educate
girls from the Afghan refugee diaspora.
At the time of their evacuation, SOLA’s student body had 49 girls, pre-6th through 9th
grades, receiving instruction from a largely remote, international team of teachers. During
their first year in Rwanda, 41 students enrolled in top U.S. boarding schools and eight
alumni enrolled as freshmen at Middlebury College in Vermont. Ninety-six members of the
non-student community have since departed Rwanda and 49 are awaiting permission to
travel to Canada or the United States.
In early 2022, SOLA opened their 2022 admissions process online with the goal of
recruiting as many as 50 Afghan girls from refugee camps from around the world. Over
150 girls submitted applications and 27 students were accepted to join SOLA in the fall
of 2022. Some applicants included girls still in Afghanistan, who unfortunately could not
be accommodated given the Taliban’s reinstatement of restrictions on girls’ education.

59. COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING 56
BUILDING LOCAL CAPACITY TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Victims of human trafficking are almost universally marginalized, and typically it is
their inability to access economic opportunities that make them vulnerable to human
trafficking. By funding efforts to address food insecurity, mitigate conflict and improve
public safety, the Foundation has long worked to address the structural factors that
make people vulnerable to human trafficking.
Beginning in 2014, the Foundation began to target the systems that lead to this abuse,
investing in pilot projects to reduce labor trafficking in the agricultural sector. What we
learned after nearly eight years of research and grantmaking led us to launch the Initiative
to Combat Human Trafficking in 2021. In 2022, the Foundation made a variety of grants
to strengthen community capacity to unite and amplify the efforts of law enforcement,
victim service providers and community members.
BUILDING CAPACITY IN COMMUNITIES TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
The Foundation is making key investments in multidisciplinary teams of dedicated law
enforcement officers, prosecutors and victim service providers to detect, investigate
and support victims of trafficking. While our mission is to address all forms of human
trafficking, our current priority is developing promising practices to address forced labor
in agriculture.
In August 2021, we established our first pilot location in Georgia. By funding dedicated
personnel at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Georgia Legal Services and Tapestri,
and working in collaboration with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s
Office and Homeland Security Investigations, this is the largest effort in the history of the
domestic anti-trafficking movement to exclusively focus on labor trafficking in agriculture.
In November 2021, our partners in Georgia supported one of the largest labor trafficking
operations in recent years. Proceeding from a five-year investigation at Homeland
Security Investigations, Operation Blooming Onion indicted 24 defendants for operating
a $200 million human trafficking and money laundering scheme. The defendants
trafficked hundreds of workers from Central America and Mexico to farms in South
Georgia–where at least two people died due to the brutal conditions.
To support the victim side of this Operation, Tapestri has served 43 survivors of labor
trafficking and 25 H-2A workers. Georgia Legal Services has filed 38 T-Visa applications
for victims and their family members and opened 60 new cases for clients needing direct
legal services related to their trafficking experience. Our partners have learned that each
victim they represent requires legal services on at least three legal matters to adequately
address their victimization.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations launched intelligence-gathering missions
to identify potential victims and initiate criminal investigations. This information, combined
with the expertise of a criminal intelligence analyst, will drive investigations moving forward.
While Georgia is in its early stages, the preliminary results demonstrate that multidisciplinary
partnerships with motivated leaders and dedicated resources can create meaningful law
enforcement action and comprehensive services for victims.
At the end of 2022, we funded two additional sites to have a greater array of approaches
and contexts to develop and refine best practices to address forced labor in agriculture.
In Western New York, we are funding an expansion of the Western District of New York
Human Trafficking Task Force, which has more than 15 years of experience addressing all
forms of human trafficking. This new partnership will expand the task force’s geographic
reach, add new partners and help determine how to replicate and scale promising practices
in different contexts. In Wisconsin, we are partnering with a statewide effort led by United
Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) and the Wisconsin Department of Justice. With
these three strong pilot projects underway, we are excited to identify, refine and evaluate
promising practices. Our goal is to develop practical resources to equip and empower
other communities to address labor trafficking.
Recognizing the complexity of our endeavor, and that funding and dedicated personnel
alone cannot ensure results, we added three supplemental efforts to give our pilot sites the
best possible chances of success:
• Implementation support: We recruited a team of multidisciplinary practitioners
with extensive experience combatting labor trafficking to assess pilot sites, develop
requirements for multidisciplinary teams and provide implementation support through
advanced training and informal coaching to their counterparts. In addition to this
tailored implementation support, pilot projects will also be able to learn from one
another.
• Ongoing monitoring and evaluation for continuous improvement: Little is
known about “what works” to combat labor trafficking. Data is needed to refine and
improve our own programming and help identify what is replicable and scalable to
other communities across the United States. In fact, one of our hypotheses is that little
action is taken in communities because there is no roadmap to success. We partnered
with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago and
Colleen Owens, some of the best labor trafficking researchers in the country, to
develop our performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. They
are collaborating with us to use data to inform our implementation support, program
design and funding strategy.

60. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 57
• Prosecutorial capacity-building: The little data that exists on multidisciplinary
efforts to address human trafficking underscores the need for strong prosecutorial
buy-in and leadership. Prosecution rates, along with feedback we received from
our pilot site recruitment efforts, demonstrated that we need more prosecutors who
are equipped and willing to combat forced labor. We partnered with AEquitas, a
premier nonprofit comprised of former prosecutors, to expand its anti-trafficking
resources and coaching to build prosecutorial capacity across the United States.
Within the first year of this project, AEquitas provided tailored technical assistance
to more than 80 federal, state and county prosecutors as well as law enforcement
agencies, victims’ rights attorneys and multidisciplinary teams. To better scale this
expertise, AEquitas is developing a Model Response to Human Trafficking that
includes example strategies to better identify, investigate and prosecute sex and
labor trafficking cases.
VICTIM IDENTIFICATION AND SERVICES
One of the biggest challenges in addressing labor trafficking cases is identifying victims.
Unlike sex trafficking, law enforcement is not the first line of proactive identification,
and the majority of cases stem from referrals from organizations with access to these
hidden populations. The Foundation is investing in projects to inform our approach for
identifying and serving victims of labor trafficking.
In December 2021, the Foundation provided a grant to Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan
Family Services (LAS) to expand its farmworker outreach program and provide legal
services to victims of labor trafficking in Central Illinois. In its first year, LAS conducted
over 120 site visits and outreach events and interacted with nearly 1,000 farmworkers.
They also provided legal services to 16 clients, including 10 victims of human trafficking,
on 60 legal matters, primarily focused on immigration relief for trafficking survivors.

The Foundation also funded the International Rescue Committee Miami (IRC Miami) to
form a “one stop shop” in partnership with local law enforcement and service providers
to support victims of labor trafficking. IRC Miami plans to build the capacity of local law
enforcement to effectively identify, respond and investigate victims of labor trafficking as
well as train community organizations to identify potential labor trafficking. This is critical
to increasing the identification and reporting of labor trafficking victims in the community.
In its first year, IRC Miami conducted three trainings to over 70 law enforcement officials
and 30 service providers focusing on key indicators of labor trafficking and victim-
centered approaches.
These pilot programs are still in the early stages of yielding conclusive lessons. However,
one key takeaway is that trust is critical to identifying and serving victims of labor
trafficking. Many labor trafficking victims may be hesitant to ask about their rights or
share their experiences. Therefore, crafting the right messages and equipping relatable
people to convey these messages is important. We found more success during second-
round encounters with farmworkers, shifting our approach to ensure that follow-up visits
occur at sites.
Alongside these efforts, the Foundation is partnering with Preble Street in Maine to
enhance the statewide response to identify and support victims of labor trafficking in the
agricultural and seafood industries. Preble Street is well known and the leading service
provider for victims of labor trafficking in Maine. Unlike our other grants, which cover
smaller geographical areas, this project will be our first state-wide model that could
inform future identification strategies.
SURVIVOR LEADERSHIP
To enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the anti-trafficking movement, we must
invest in survivor leadership. The anti-trafficking movement is one of the few human rights
movements that is not led by those who are directly impacted. Instead, government
actors and a handful of nonprofit organizations set the anti-trafficking agenda, and
survivors are often not seen as experts whose lived experiences can inform investigative
strategies, service provision, research and policy.
To fill this gap, the Foundation is partnering with the Sherwood Foundation and Survivor
Alliance to pilot a Survivor Leadership Academy with 18 survivors of labor and sex
trafficking. Not only does the Academy provide 18 months of leadership development
to these survivors, but it also aims to seed an overall system change by educating allies
who want to increase survivor leadership but lack the skills to properly engage, mentor
and empower survivors. These systemic changes are critical to success, demonstrated
by a third of Academy participants who are reluctant to work with well-meaning allies
due to negative experiences that have exacerbated survivors’ trauma. Survivor Alliance
is constantly monitoring the needs of the survivor leaders and allies to develop and refine
a suite of resources as well as provide hands-on coaching and peer-to-peer support.
Lessons learned from this pilot initiative can inform the sector on how to best approach
and accelerate survivor leadership.

61. COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING 58
THE CENTER TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING PILOT INITIATIVES
The Foundation is committed to working in the areas of greatest need, which often
demands trying new approaches to complex challenges. We believe that solving
seemingly intractable problems requires not only financial support, but new ways of
thinking and creative collaborations.
The Foundation created the Center to Combat Human Trafficking (CTCHT) to provide
multi-year funding for pilot projects in which collaborators are explicitly expected to
test ambitious, creative and new approaches. What CTCHT seeks in early stages is
not dramatic evidence of overall success but data and insights that can inform the
next iteration. In that way, CTCHT fosters learning and innovation through acceptable
losses. In other words, we recognize that not every effort of CTCHT will work. We expect
many efforts to fail. But we refuse to ignore problems that cause pain and suffering
to marginalized communities just because there is no current roadmap on how to be
successful.
In October 2020, the details of a case involving the human trafficking of Chinese
nationals in growing and distributing illegal cannabis on the Shiprock Navajo reservation
drew national attention. The Shiprock case illustrated many misunderstood areas of
human trafficking: the severe violence and deprivation of labor trafficking; the unjust
treatment of victims of forced criminality as criminals themselves; the challenge of law
enforcement interventions on tribal lands; and the hidden violence associated with
illegal marijuana operations. While this case appeared in news outlets across the world,
those responsible for identifying and intervening on behalf of the victims were unsure of
what steps to take to address human trafficking in the drug trade. This form of human
trafficking was seen as too difficult, dangerous and unpopular to tackle– exactly the type
of challenge CTCHT was created to take on.
Through our research we discovered that transnational criminal networks have shifted
from smuggling cannabis into the United States to growing it in California, Oregon,
Oklahoma and other states that have decriminalized the use and production of cannabis.
Some of these networks are based in Mexico, but others are run from Asia and Eastern
Europe. Often operating adjacent to permitted growers and exploiting laws designed
to support the legal industry, these criminal networks have increased human trafficking,
violence and environmental damage.
Criminal organizations keep their cultivations costs low in part by recruiting or coercing
vulnerable individuals to provide labor for which they will receive little, if any, pay. The living
conditions on many of these large, remote grows are appalling. Workers are stranded
in wilderness areas with no sanitation, minimal shelter and no cell phones or vehicles so
they cannot flee. They are often exposed to dangerous chemicals, with no protective
gear. In some cases, the criminal groups smuggle workers into the United States under
the ruse of taking them to a good agricultural labor job where they can send money back
to their families. When they arrive on the illegal cannabis grows, they are told that if they
run away their families will be harmed.
Identifying victims of human trafficking is already a huge challenge. Safely or practically
interacting with and identifying victims who tend to be in remote areas guarded by armed
grow personnel is virtually impossible for service providers. These remote and dangerous
locations are most likely to be accessible only by law enforcement. However, many
officers may misidentify victims as criminal actors themselves. Victims in this situation are
unlikely to self-identify to law enforcement due to their fear of the transnational criminal
actors who are well-known for their extreme use of violence. To better discern the victims
from the perpetrators, law enforcement officers require training to recognize the signs of
trafficking and ask the right questions in what is called “trauma-informed” interactions.
Additional challenges occur once victims are identified. Service providers are in short
supply in remote areas where cannabis tends to be cultivated. Law enforcement
personnel are stretched thin and lack the necessary resources to be able to properly
investigate and build cases to dismantle these complex, transnational networks.
This kind of complexity demands a multifaceted approach, which is precisely what
the CTCHT-funded Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities (NCCSC)
is doing. NCCSC is a collaboration between law enforcement leaders from Butte,
Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Trinity Counties, including Sheriffs and District
Attorneys, who are working with a team of experts on environmental crimes and human
trafficking, data analysts, victim service providers and other partners to address serious
and harmful consequences of illegal cannabis in the region. Formed in 2021, the mission
of NCCSC is to protect the safety of local communities by investigating and dismantling
transnational criminal organizations’ activities that are causing severe harm. Those
activities include human trafficking and other violent crimes as well as environmental
damage and extensive water diversion connected to illegal cannabis growing operations.
The environmental impact of this activity has reached a crisis level on two dimensions.
First, California is currently experiencing a severe drought, and a cannabis plant can
require six to nine gallons of water per day throughout a three-month growing season.
Growers without permits are diverting and stealing millions of gallons of water from
creeks and streams that otherwise would fill reservoirs and replenish aquifers. Secondly,
some illegal growers use highly toxic chemicals including rodenticides, insecticides and
other toxins that directly kill wildlife in the surrounding area. Environmental and wildlife
officers are routinely finding dead bears, bobcats, eagles and other birds and small

62. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 59
Top: The rustic sleeping area on this illegal marijuana grow site in northern California demonstrates the difficult
living conditions workers endure.

Middle: Illegal marijuana grows regularly use banned pesticides and other chemicals that harm workers, kill
wildlife and pollute public waterways. These grows also generate tons of trash and siphon off enormous quantities
of water, adding to the environmental toll.

Bottom: Most illegal grows in northern California are in remote areas where workers are completely dependent on
site managers and human traffickers to bring them food and other supplies, which may happen infrequently. Many
workers on illegal grow sites do not know where they are working–or even what country they are in.
mammals that have been poisoned by lethal “bait” near unpermitted cannabis grows.
These chemicals are being used near streams and creeks, and they are leaching into
the watersheds.
While local experts and community members have condemned these practices, there
are few state or national efforts to address the illegal activities–and even fewer that bring
cross-sector resources together for multifaceted collaboration. CTCHT’s unique mission
is well suited to support an innovative effort like NCCSC to meet this need.
The efforts of the NCCSC are in its preliminary stages. The first phase assembled
resources and processes to support local law enforcement and victim services in
identifying and investigating these criminal activities, provide support to victims and
share information that can lead to prosecutions.
The hope is that the pilot project will produce a set of best practices that not only
succeed in these five counties, but that can form the basis for a larger coalition of
counties in California, and extending lessons learned into other states.
A second effort CTCHT is supporting emerged from the Foundation’s past six-year grant
to the Financial Crimes Unit (FCU) in Cochise County, Arizona, which has investigated
transnational financial crimes along the border. In one such instance, the FCU discovered
a labor trafficking scheme connected to organized crime. CTCHT will pilot an approach
to investigating cross-border human trafficking via financial investigations, advanced
intelligence and comprehensive services for victims.
While still in the planning stages of development, the ultimate goal of these pilot projects
in Arizona and Northern California is to accelerate learning and determine which
approaches work best when local communities are being harmed by transnational crime.

65. PUBLIC SAFETY 62
A STATE-OF-THE-ART TRAINING CAMPUS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
In 2015, the Foundation conceived, developed and provided the financial support to
create the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Campus (MCLETC), a premier
training site for law enforcement and first responders located in central Illinois. This
has been an ongoing investment which addresses national public safety needs,
while providing support to the local community. MCLETC supports the education
and practical training needs of law enforcement personnel and first responders while
also working to improve community relations with law enforcement. The Campus
provides state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to ensure that first responders are
well equipped to serve their communities and secure the public safety and quality of
life or all residents. The Campus also offers opportunities for individuals to improve
their understanding of law enforcement’s role in their community by participating in
select training exercises that help illustrate the types of challenges law enforcement
personnel may encounter on the job.
MCLETC’s campus includes the following facilities:
FIRE TRAINING FACILITY
This 5,000 square foot structure includes a six-story high-rise tower and a two-story
single-family dwelling, each equipped with separate stairwells and burn rooms. The
high-rise tower includes an elevator shaft, standpipes on all floors and water sources
that trainees can use to retrieve water with pre-made hose packs. An area on the roof
allows vertical ventilation techniques to be simulated with smoke and heat removal.
The facility is also equipped with machines that produce simulated smoke, which can
be released and dispersed throughout the building to meet the needs of any training
scenario. The tower’s roof deck is outfitted with six anchor point rappelling rings, each
rated for 10,000 pounds live-load. The parapet wall is designed to be used for tactical
rappel evolutions, and the top level includes cantilevered platforms to practice hanging
rappelling techniques.

66. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 63
DIVE TRAINING POND
The Dive Training Pond allows dive and special operations teams the opportunity to train
and practice in a more than two-acre pond equipped with a submerged school bus,
two vehicles and brush (the photo in the middle shows the pond before it was filled).
This gives trainees the unique opportunity to practice underwater search patterns and
techniques around the types of submerged obstacles they will face in the real-world.
The pond is also equipped with an underwater concrete pad for swapping gear and
training exercises. During the winter months, the pond allows trainees the ability to
practice ice rescue training and other cold weather-related procedures.
RAILWAY TANK CAR
A 53-foot, 20,800-gallon railway tank car allows first responders to train in a real-world
setting. The tank car also provides opportunities for scenario-based HAZMAT training
(pictured top).
GRAIN BIN SAFETY BUILDING
At 12,000 square feet, this state-of-the-art facility offers fire and rescue personnel the
opportunity to train on the dangers of grain bin engulfment and entrapment, and the
rescue and recovery procedures for victims, all in a controlled and safe environment
(pictured bottom).

67. PUBLIC SAFETY 64
VIRTRA TRAINING
Three VirTra 300 simulators and one VirTra 180 simulator offer police recruits, corrections
cadets and in-service officers the opportunity to experience scenario-based, virtual
reality training scenarios. One of the key uses of the VirTra is to engage community
members and provide opportunities to experience what police officers face on a regular
basis. Participants are coached through de-escalation techniques, critical thinking under
stress and use of force decision-making, followed by a debrief and after-action review
with active and retired law enforcement (pictured top).
THE MACON COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER
This academy offers state-certified basic law enforcement and basic corrections training
using both classroom and hands-on education, utilizing the best-in-class training
facilities, including a 9,462 square foot, 20 lane indoor firing range. This facility was
donated to the State of Illinois upon its completion in 2017 (pictured bottom).
TACTICAL TRAINING MAT ROOMS
Four different mat room training areas offer a total of nearly 9,000 square feet of tactical
training space (pictured middle).

68. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 65
BOLEK TRAINING FACILITY
This facility is a 32,000 square foot multipurpose space designed to accommodate a
wide variety of training needs. The facility includes several classrooms, a gym, mat room
and a tactical village complete with storefronts, city streets and a three-story mock jail
with functioning jail doors. The indoor facility is temperature-controlled to allow for year-
round training. A new tactical area, completed in 2022, provides six additional scenario
areas including a church, school room, office, daycare, fast food restaurant and a large
open park.

69. PUBLIC SAFETY 66
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS (IDOC)
IDOC utilizes three buildings on the campus: a training building, dormitory, cafeteria and an
office building, which includes an auditorium for instructional classes (not pictured).
CENTRAL ILLINOIS REGIONAL DISPATCH CENTER (CIRDC)
CIRDC provides emergency communications services for Macon County, employing
30 dispatchers who field over 300 calls a day for eight law enforcement and 15 fire
agencies. This facility was donated to the CIRDC upon its completion in 2018 (pictured
top).
Training opportunities located near MCLETC include the Grant Farm facility (pictured
bottom right and left), two miles from campus. Grant Farm offers a variety of environments
across seven buildings and 20,000 square feet of training area, tailored for the specialized
training requirements of police K-9s and their handlers, evacuation exercises, active
shooter scenarios, Special Response Team (SRT) clearing and other uses. Multiple
heated buildings include various room configurations, lockers, multiple specialized K-9
training aids, a K-9 obstacle course, and over 15 acres of woods and 12 acres of open
fields for tracking and article searches. A 2,600 square foot farmhouse is used for both
K-9 exercises as well as SRT and tactical training. The facilities at Grant Farm include
an indoor firearms range, classroom and unique features to facilitate real-life training
(pictured bottom left and right).

70. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 67
COMMUNITY EDUCATION ON POLICING
The facilities at MCLETC also provide a unique opportunity for members of the community
to learn more about what it’s like to be in law enforcement. The Foundation has developed
a program where individuals are invited to experience the VirTra simulator, facilitated
by experienced law enforcement professionals. Simulations allow visitors to virtually go
out on police calls in the role of a law enforcement officer. The goal is to educate the
public about police procedures and real-time decision-making officers regularly face, to
encourage dialogue and improve community relations with law enforcement.
To date, 685 members of the community have participated since the start of the program
in 2021. They include journalists, church groups, college students, educators, elected
officials and other community groups.
Community members participating in the VirTra training offered their feedback
on the experience:
JULIE MOORE WOLFE | MAYOR, DECATUR, IL
“Most of us will never face the split-second decisions police are forced to
make in the line of duty. We can watch video clips of a shooting and say they
were wrong, and we never would have fired a weapon. The VirTra Training
is an opportunity to spend a few minutes in their shoes and glimpse the life
and death decisions police make. I firmly believe all Illinois lawmakers need to
experience this training as they explore police reform.”
DR. JUANITA MORRIS | COORDINATOR, JERRY J. DAWSON
CIVIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
“The simulation was powerful–it created an environment to raise individual
tension, heart rate, and the experience required self-reflection. This experience,
while a tip of the iceberg from the law enforcement perspective, helped me
make a small step in understanding better the task of law enforcement.”
DR. JARMESE SHERROD | PRESIDENT & CEO, S.I.M.P., INC.
“There is no way you can walk away from this experience without a clear
conception of the required skills, immediacy, critical thinking, compassion
and training it takes to do this job for 8+ hours a day with accuracy.”
TERRENCE TAYLOR | PRESIDENT & CEO, TAT INC.
“When it comes to law enforcement, it’s easy for us to say what we would do or
wouldn’t do until you are actually placed in those situations. This experience
is something that will alleviate the barriers between community members and
law enforcement, and it is truly needed.”

71. CLOSING THOUGHTS 68

72. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 69
BY HOWARD G. BUFFETT
It was on my fifth trip to Ukraine in the 11 months since the war started that I found
myself thinking about how these trips–and the act of “showing up”–have gotten more
difficult for me as I’ve gotten older. There is of course the sheer logistical challenge: we
travel with armored vests, Kevlar helmets and I always take a lot of camera equipment
to document our work. There is always a large bag of gifts for people we will meet or
have met on prior trips, a small show of gratitude for them allowing us to insert ourselves
into their lives to better understand their suffering and needs. The distances are far and
often challenging to navigate, and itineraries often come together in real time because
in conflict areas, on the ground realities can change hour by hour. No two trips are the
same. But the reason I make them does not change, and the value they bring to our
decision-making and the grants we make is incalculable.
My first trip to a conflict area was to Czechoslovakia in 1969. Back then, I was too
young and too naïve about the world to understand the implications of the Soviet
Union’s 1968 invasion and subsequent occupation, let alone the impact on the lives of
the Czech people. The daily activities we take for granted at home are full of risk in such
circumstances.

73. CLOSING THOUGHTS 70
It took me 30 years to visit another conflict zone. In 1999, I arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia
full of anticipation of what I would see and learn. It was on that trip that I began to
understand the importance of “showing up.”
As someone who was fortunate enough to be born in the United States to a family
able to fully realize the American Dream, I can never truly understand the contexts and
perspectives of the challenging environments we choose to operate in and the vulnerable
populations we seek to help. “Showing up” helps me close some of that gap between
experience and understanding so that we can be smarter about the investments we
make. It is the only way to learn intimate details about the life-changing impacts of
conflict and poverty, and what it means to live in a society where rules and laws are
meaningless and where government institutions are nonexistent or predatory. You smell
the dust and smoke of bombed-out buildings, you see the wounds and suffering of
people, you learn of the desperation people feel and what they tell you they urgently
want and need. You hear the distant gun fire and shelling that sometimes reminds you
of a much safer space at home where the sounds are firecrackers or thunder. You travel
through villages that are like ghost towns because people have fled. And sometimes you
can sense that death is all around you.
How we show up is also important. I travel with as few people as possible. I have
occasionally entered a country without going through a port of entry, mainly for security
reasons, or on several occasions, when I was an ambassador for WFP, I did it to avoid
the protocol and entourage that awaited me. I work hard to avoid the photo ops or pre-
programmed visits where participants have been coached on their answers. It doesn’t
always work–diplomacy sometimes requires me to listen to and do what my host wants
me to see and hear–but I will only do it when I know I will also have plenty of time to have
more authentic experiences. I’m not interested in a social media-ready understanding of
a conflict that can be summed up in a tweet. That is not showing up, it is showmanship.
There are some places I want to go to where it is impossible for me to have an
experience that is genuine–so I don’t go. There are other times when the experience is
so genuine and sensitive that I ask others on the team to stay behind. The most difficult
conversations I have had are with children who are dying or with groups of people who
I know I cannot help. I do this work to help people, and when I see human suffering, I’m
impatient about finding solutions to alleviate that suffering. So it is especially frustrating
and heartbreaking when I encounter people facing difficult circumstances who I know,
for reasons out of my control, I cannot help.
Burundi was the first place I visited where the only safe way to get there was by
chartering a flight. It was years ago, and there were no commercial flights available. I
considered the flight both a necessary mode of transport and an insurance policy. There
were no functioning hospitals, and security was tenuous. I figured it was a way to make
a quick exit in an emergency. I have since learned it does not always work that way.
Having had several caravan aircraft and a helicopter grounded in different countries by
the local military, I have found that there is no guaranteed exit plan if you are arrested
or detained. In these circumstances, I’ve learned to choose my words carefully and talk
only when necessary. I have had tenuous experiences with tribal members who see me
as an intruder, military who see me as an opportunity, soldiers who are undisciplined,
police who are angry and governments that are threatened by our presence. It is all part
of showing up.
One time a friend of mine in the security business said to me, “don’t confuse being lucky
with being good.” I have never forgotten that, but sometimes I realize to learn, to see
what I need to see and to talk to the people who can educate me on their reality, I must
travel to places and in a way that has some risk. I see it as part of the job.
When encountering people and circumstances very different from our own, it is easy to
make assumptions and judge things based on our own experience. I go to the field to
have my assumptions challenged and to try to understand the actual experiences of the
people our Foundation is working to help. We don’t live in a conflict area, we don’t go
to bed thinking about when the next missile will hit, we don’t worry everyday if our child
will be raped, we don’t have to decide which child to feed and which one will go hungry,
and we don’t live every day in fear–so how could we possibly understand the impact and
consequences of these circumstances? Even by spending a few hours or a few days
in these environments, we cannot really begin to understand it, but we will understand
much more if we show up.
My desire to see and learn firsthand comes from several influences in my life. I watched
my mom be a hands-on activist. I was with her when people were angry and yelled at her
and her colleagues. I asked her once why we went to places where people didn’t seem
to like us. She explained that we couldn’t solve problems if we didn’t understand them.
The implication was clear that understanding them required us to show up.
Opposite page, left: In November 2022, I visited Izium, Ukraine. Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative
department of the National Police in the Kharkiv region, walked me through a mass grave site of 451 graves.
(Photo courtesy of Laren Poole)
Opposite page, right: We later went to the basement of the police station where Russian soldiers held civilians
captive and tortured them. This message says “God, save us and keep us safe.” On other walls there were messages
to family members and markings counting the days of captivity.

74. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 71

75. CLOSING THOUGHTS 72
Photo courtesy of Ann Kelly Bolten
Later I found myself in refugee camps and at community meetings listening to angry
people. I always walked away with a new understanding of the circumstances they
faced. I also believe that seeing so many different, at times disturbing, things in my
early travels, gave me a very different perspective. By age 21, I had traveled to 14
countries without a parent, in the days when there were no cell phones. Each trip was
an adventure and an education. Sometimes they were scary.
When I was 20 years old, I had the opportunity to travel to India. I went for a run with
a few other guys I was traveling with, to get some exercise and to see the streets of
Kolkata. It was early in the morning, and we passed wagons that were stacked with
bodies. It challenged my comfort level beyond any previous experience. We later learned
that picking up the bodies of people who died the night before was a daily occurrence.
In apartheid-era South Africa, I saw some of my college friends return from an outing
in Cape Town, bloody and shaken. They had made the mistake of talking to a black
person. I had read about apartheid, but now I was seeing it.
In Kenya, at about 6,000 feet on the side of Mt. Kilimanjaro, we were headed to a
ranger station, arriving hungry and tired. We sat down, impatient and arguing over who
would get served first. Then the door opened, and a man dressed in a military uniform
appeared, looking tired and upset. The room fell silent. There was a conversation that
took place in another language. Then our leader turned to us and explained that a group
of rangers had lost a colleague during training and after two difficult days of carrying the
body down the mountain, they had arrived at the station exhausted and hungry. Without
saying a word, as if there was a conductor of an orchestra giving us silent instructions,
we all stood up simultaneously and gave up our seats at the table so the men could eat.
It was the first time I had ever experienced the combined power of empathy and action
when confronted with an unspoken need. It is difficult to articulate but it was a powerful
experience.
I could never have had these perspective-shaping experiences at such a young age
without the support of my mom and dad. My mother instilled in me the reason we show
up, and my dad reinforced it by giving me the confidence that I would learn and grow
as a result. Those early experiences laid the groundwork for the education in human
suffering I would get as an adult, traveling to the field to understand conflict and food
insecurity so our Foundation could invest the resources my dad gave us as effectively
as possible.
I held the hand of a mother in northern Ghana as her daughter lay dying from malnutrition,
malaria and meningitis (top left). I remember thinking that if this girl were in the United
States, she would live. The young girl from a refugee camp in Pakistan (middle left), her
body covered with fourth degree burns, is etched in my mind forever. Her skin was multi-
colored and like paper from the burns, but what stood out to me were her eyes. The

76. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 73
image of her I captured with my camera highlights her intense gaze, that was probably a
reflection of the pain and confusion she felt. She died a few days later. I will never forget
sitting at Karla’s small house in rural El Salvador (bottom left), watching her try to hold
back tears as she described her fear of what the gangs would do to her children. Many
of her neighbors had fled to the United States, in search of better and safer lives, but
Karla refused to give up everything they had built over their lifetime. People often forget
what they read or what they see on television, but we do not forget these people, their
faces or their stories.
These experiences have been an essential education. We’ve learned how often our
assumptions were wrong, and why our ideas may not work; in fact, we’ve learned why
they could make things worse. And we learn that the reality of what we see in the news,
sitting at home is much harsher and more devastating.
There are few experiences that compare to when a person we have never met,
and likely will never see again, takes our hand and thanks us simply for being
there to support them. For showing up. I remember visiting a site in Rwanda where
thousands of bodies had been exhumed from the genocide. The gentleman who was
taking us room to room showing us the skeletal remains did not speak English. He was
tall and slender and had a large and deep depression on his forehead from a bullet
wound. A few years later, on my second visit to the site, he showed me his legs: damage
inflicted by machetes had covered them with scars and indentations. We could not
speak each other’s language, but we didn’t need to. As we turned towards the office,
he took my hand, and we walked in silence. On a trip to Romania, I stopped along the
road and spoke with some farmers. When I went to leave, one of the women came over
and gently kissed me on the cheek. In Ukraine, I walked over to say hello to a woman
who was likely in her 80s sitting on a short wall outside the train station. As we talked,
she repeatedly thanked me for visiting her country. Her eyes began to tear up and she
couldn’t continue speaking, but she didn’t need to say anything more. Communication
comes in many forms, but we have to be there to receive it.
I have included a few stories on the following pages. These stories illustrate why I do
things the way I do. A book or someone else’s description could not provide the impact
that these experiences have had on me and on our Foundation’s work.
I have been incredibly fortunate to have had these experiences. I have also been very
fortunate to come home from a few. As I get older, I realize I may not be able to show
up as often as I would like, but I will keep trying. There is one thing I have learned: every
trip is different, and every experience teaches me something new. And, I have learned
that you don’t always need to go 10,000 miles to show up. Do whatever challenges your
comfort zone and helps you understand and empathize with people who are different or
less fortunate than you. It will provide you with some great life lessons. Show up.
Photos courtesy of Devon Buffett (middle); Ryan Youngblood (right)

77. SHOWING UP 74

78. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 75
Showing up allows me to meet people and hear their stories. These stories provide
more context, help answer my many questions and give me a better understanding
of how our philanthropy can best serve the communities we support. These are just
a few of the stories I have heard in my many years of travels to over 150 countries.
Some stories confirm what you think you know; others provide insight into issues and
challenges you could not understand without being there. They all represent something
important to the people sharing them.
I remember how difficult some of these conversations were. In Chad, a few miles from
the Sudan border, at the height of people leaving Darfur, I met a tribal chief who had
just crossed the border. We talked for a few minutes, and I remember thinking all he has
left is his title. He reached out and took my hand. He tried to squeeze it, but he didn’t
have much energy. He implored me in his local language: “Don’t forget me, don’t let the
world forget us.” As I drove away, I knew most of the world would forget. That is why I
carry a camera. Forgetting allows us to do nothing; photos remind people that we must
all do something.
These stories are why I show up.
Left: I visited with a family in Sierra Leone who described how they ran and hid in a forest when the Revolutionary
United Front (RUF) raided their village. They could not use fires to cook because the smoke would reveal their
location; instead, they were forced to eat bark and leaves to fill their stomaches. It was the first time I had a mother
explain to me how she had to choose which child would live and which child would die because of the scarcity of
food available to feed them. It was not the last time I had a mother confide this to me.

79. SHOWING UP 76
UNITED STATES, 2001
As we drove through a small town in West Virginia, I spotted a man checking his mailbox.
I was shocked at how thin he was. I wanted to talk to him, so we stopped our vehicle
across from the house and my colleague went to the door and knocked. When he
stepped out on the porch, I asked if he was a veteran. The instant he heard my
question, he saluted the flag.
His name was Everett. He lived alone. He was a veteran of the Korean War, and he
showed us his uniform with the medals he had received. Inside his house was a single
light bulb hanging over a small table where he had been working on a puzzle. In his
kitchen, the shelves were mostly empty; a box of cereal was all that was visible.
We asked Everett how he was doing. He said he needed to sit down for a minute. As he
sat, he began shaking. We later found out that he had Parkinson’s disease. He struggled
to say, “Please don’t leave; I will be OK in a minute.”
It was clear he thought we would leave once we saw his condition. We assured him we
would not. He sat in an old, raggedy chair, and I asked him if we could somehow help
him. He responded by saying that the veterans needed help. He began telling us how
there were very few Korean War veterans left, but he had gone to every funeral. I knew
he was too proud to accept anything for himself, so I quickly took several $100 bills
from my pocket and tucked them in his hand. I told him to use the money to help the
veterans. He stood up–with our help–and put his hand on my heart and told me that I
was a wonderful person.
I will never forget Everett. He was a tired and lonely man, but also strong and proud. We
tried to find him about six months later, but learned that he had passed away.

80. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 77
Photo courtesy of Andrey Stavnitse
UKRAINE, 2022
While having dinner at a hotel in Kyiv, an occasional air raid siren would sound. I was
visiting with a man who owned a farm outside Kyiv. As we talked, he described something
that most of us could not imagine. As the Russians advanced, they overtook his farm
which is about two hours south of Kyiv. The Russians set up an operating base to support
their ongoing invasion. The number of Russians on his farm increased, and they began to
stockpile ammunition. They ransacked his farmhouse and butchered his animals to eat.
As the number of Russians increased, he called the Ukrainian military to provide them
with the coordinates of his farm so they could strike the Russians and their stockpiles
of ammunition and artillery. He had no insurance on his tractors; no way to replace the
fertilizer supply he lost; and all of his animals were gone.
I later met Andrey, who had a similar experience. He fled his home on March 5th when
Russian soldiers occupied his village and seized his property. Several staff members
were still at the house when the Russians arrived. Eventually the Russians stripped the
staff naked and sent them off to the woods. When the staff reached safety, they called
Andrey and told him the Russians were stockpiling valuable items from the surrounding
areas which they had stolen. More importantly, they also reported that numerous military
vehicles, including rocket launchers, were located on the property. Andrey proceeded
to call the Ukrainian military and provided the coordinates of his home, along
with the information about the Russians. The photo shows the aftermath:
Andrey gave up his home and property to protect his country.

81. SHOWING UP 78
LIBERIA, 2007
These three women (Kebadede, Elizabeth and Korpeo) all survived Liberia’s civil war.
Kebadede did not remember when she left her village with her two children to go to
a camp in the capital of Monrovia. Both her mother and father were killed before they
could leave. Elizabeth left in 1992 and fled to Guinea, later to Monrovia and then returned
home. During this time, her husband, brother, child and nephew were killed. As we
talked, her voice broke often; she held back tears and struggled to find the words to
tell her story. Korpeo also went to an IDP camp in Monrovia. She described the risk in
traveling to the capital: women were raped, children kidnapped and men killed.
The disruption to their lives and the description of their suffering was brutal. These
women were trying to rebuild their lives. They were all farmers–it was the only skill they
possessed. They struggled against overwhelming odds: 92 percent of the population
was either moderately vulnerable to food insecurity or food insecure.
The country had just emerged from a violent conflict. As we departed for the next village,
our driver summed up the situation in a profound way that many would not understand
without seeing it firsthand: “peace is a process, not an event.”

82. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 79
SIERRA LEONE, 2007
I watched the movie Blood Diamond four times before I had the chance to travel to
Sierra Leone. I questioned if the horrific events portrayed in the movie were accurate.
When I walked into the Kono diamond mine for the first time, it seemed surreal. It quickly
became very real. This was life at the bottom, hard labor, almost no pay and complete
abuse of human beings. I knew that many of the men had either killed others or had
their family killed. The tension generated by my presence and my cameras quickly made
me uncomfortable. The guards did not want to be photographed–it was one of the few
times I did not risk trying. All of my doubts about what this country had suffered and the
challenges ahead were suddenly gone as I stood in the middle of millions of dollars of
wealth buried in the ground being dug out by some of the poorest and most desperate
people in the world.
The boy carrying the bag on his head is at the Kenema diamond mine and is essentially
a slave. Miners working in these conditions typically earn about 12 cents a day and a
cup of rice. The business is complex, with diamonds changing hands many times before
they ever reach a retail outlet. One man said to us, “In the diamond business, you are
always living on hope.”

83. SHOWING UP 80
HONDURAS, 2005
Carla, age 13, works in a garbage dump in Honduras with her younger sister (shown
above). Carla is sniffing glue to lessen the stench of the dump and to deaden the reality
of her life. She is representative of many young girls who earn 50 cents a day sorting
garbage and selling what they find. Her daily meal often comes from what she scavenges
from the heaps of rotting food. Many girls in these circumstances find that it is easier
to earn money by using their bodies, which they frequently do with truck drivers at the
dump, earning between $1 and $5 for each encounter. The youngest girl we met who
was already being exploited in this manner was ten years old. It is difficult to convey the
despondency and sadness of these girls as we listened to their stories. They do not
want to sell sex, but it is “better” than digging through the garbage.
SENEGAL, 2001
This photograph was taken in a compound in a small town in the middle of the desert.
There were at least 50 young boys who were in shackles, some chained to
trees. After about five minutes of taking photographs, an angry crowd gathered, and I
had to quickly exit the compound while my colleague distracted the crowd. Once I was
in our Land Cruiser, a young man jumped into our vehicle; he attempted to drive the
vehicle head-on into a wall. If he crashed our vehicle and injured us in the process, he
would be treated as a hero. To stop him, I hooked his arm so he could not shift gears,
and one of my colleagues, who was in the far back of the vehicle, immediately came
around the side to pull him out. We locked the doors and waited for the rest of our
colleagues so we could depart.
I was told that these were children of families whose parents turned them over to their
marabout (religious leader). This religion allowed for men to have several wives, creating
very large families. The marabout required these boys to beg for money in the streets
each day. If they failed to reach their “quotas,” they were disciplined. Later, if they
attempted to escape, they were shackled.

84. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 81
BANGLADESH, 2001
People often assume economic growth reduces poverty. This is not always the case.
Economic growth means little to the poorest unless it also produces effective policies,
new ideas and opportunities to ensure the benefits of growth actually address poverty-
related problems.
This young girl scavenges through the local garbage dump, looking for something to eat,
likely her only meal for the day. Photographing in a landfill is difficult. Often the people do
not like being photographed. The smell is inescapable: methane burns your eyes and the
stench penetrates everything, including your clothes. After an hour, I found it hard to
breathe and my eyes burned so badly that I could hardly keep them open. These
are the living conditions these children experience every day.
 
ROMANIA, 2002
Chiprian lives in the sewer, which is visible in the lower left corner of this image. He is one
of the estimated 20,000 street children in Romania. When he was 12 years old, he lost
his leg after falling asleep on a railroad track; at the time, he was with a group of children
in a trafficking ring in Europe. He sniffs glue to try to deaden the pain and pass the time.
Children in these circumstances live without any protection. The number of children
globally who live in the streets is unknown but estimates range from 10 million
to 100 million. What is known is that the vast majority live in the poorest countries, with
nonexistent social safety nets.

85. SHOWING UP 82
SIERRA LEONE, 2008
About 75 percent of the population of Sierra Leone lives on less than $2 a day. When I
visited, the country was trying to recover from 10 years of brutal civil war. Interviewing
former child combatants is emotional. “Little Cromite” (pictured left), meaning the
youngest one, was abducted at age six. Little Cromite was his jungle name, given to
him by his commander when he was captured. He was immediately trained to use an
AK-47. Not able to carry the weapon, he would drag it until he needed to use it; then he
would drop to the ground to fire. He showed us where his commander cut his chest and
rubbed in cocaine to keep him “pumped up,” a common practice used on the younger
“soldiers.” The first time they did this to him he was nine years old. He said, “you
become like wild dogs.”
“Pepe” described watching his father be killed by the RUF guerillas. At that moment, he
had to make a decision. He was told, “You join us, or you die.” He said, “Right now there
is no hope–only finding a way to survive.”
Each of our meetings with the former child soldiers included three individuals. Groups of
women and men were separate. The first name we asked for was their jungle name, the
name they were given by their commander. The commanders mentioned were CO-Blood
(Commander Blood), Superman and Scorpion. I asked them a number of questions,
some they would not answer. The men were often more willing to provide details than
the women. They explained how they would “chop” hands to send a message to the
president. They described how they were trained to use weapons and how helicopters
would fly into Kono to trade diamonds for guns, grenades and drugs. One way to move
diamonds during the conflict was through neighboring countries. Côte d’Ivoire, which
had not had a diamond industry for more than a decade, exported an average of 1.5
million carats a year to the Belgian High Diamond Council during the late 1990s. It’s a
stark reminder of how too often the world turns a blind eye to human suffering, even in
the face of overwhelming evidence.

86. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 83
SIERRA LEONE, 2008
On our last day meeting with survivors of Sierra Leone’s civil war, we were introduced
to three women. Their jungle names were “Born Naked,” “Burn House” and “Small
Pepper.” They were 9, 10 and 18 years old when they were captured by rebels. One of
them pointed to her eyes and said, “I have seen things no person should witness.”
She continued, “the stories have been buried so they do not come out easily–buried
very deep.”
They were given a “husband,” and if a higher-ranking commander wanted them, they
were taken. One of the girls described being pregnant and losing the baby because of
the constant walking, carrying ammunition and using heavy weapons.
They were trained to fire against the human shields used by the West African armed
forces (ECOMOG). Drugs were forced on them so they would “have the mind to kill–
even if you saw your own mother, you would kill her.” Burn House said she snorted
gunpowder and put it in her food–“it makes you strong.”

87. SHOWING UP 84
SIERRA LEONE, 2007
Foday Marah was on his way to the field to work when he was ambushed by rebels. They
told him, “You voted with your right hand, so we will cut off that arm. You signed
for the president, now you will be chopped.” The rebels gave him his severed hand
and a letter, and instructed him to deliver both to Sierra Leone’s president. As others
beside him were also “chopped,” the rebels killed one man and taunted Foday, saying,
“See that man? He is sleeping.” Then they cut off his son’s hand. Foday was a farmer,
but now he lives in a small community with other amputees, unable to work in the fields.
MALI, 2003
Mohair lives in Timbuktu, a place that many of us have heard of, but few have visited.
She lives just outside an area the locals call “the belt of misery,” the outer perimeter of
the city. This is a place where people barely survive on 25 cents a day.
Mohair, like many young women we saw in the area, was unmarried and had a child. We
were told that when a trader stops in Timbuktu, by tradition and religion, he can select
a young woman and pronounce that she is now his wife. She is then obligated to sleep
with him that night. In the morning, the man can simply say to her, “I divorce you,”
three times, and he is on his way. There is no obligation to support the woman or
a child if one is born. Timbuktu is a very remote area with very few escape options for
young women.

88. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 85
ETHIOPIA, 2008
I was traveling with the UN WFP as we arrived at a food distribution site in Gara Godo.
The day we visited, over 2,000 mothers were there. Farther on, at Misrak Badawacho,
there were 4,257 people waiting for food distributions. It was here that we found Negese
Feleke, a 12-year-old boy who had been healthy a year earlier. He was now severely
malnourished. His mother farmed half a hectare to feed 11 family members. When their
crop failed, she sold all of her goats and cattle to buy food. Her last animal died in
February from the drought. Now she had nothing as her son withered away.
ZAMBIA, 2007
The four men in the photograph were once notorious poachers. Thomson Tembo, third
from the left, went to prison three different times for a total of 18 years. These men,
along with over 400 others, gave up poaching to join a conservation-based
agriculture program to provide for their families. This was achieved through a
unique community program based in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia.
In 2008 when I visited the project, they had collected over 800 weapons and more
than 50,000 wire snares that were used for poaching. The project helped poachers
transition from their illegal activity to establishing small farm plots. In 2001, participating
households earned an average of $18 a year; in 2008 it had increased to $65 a year.

89. SHOWING UP 86
ARMENIA, 2005
When my son, Howie, and I landed in Armenia, we already knew the statistics: 40
percent of Armenians live in extreme poverty. Another 30 percent live in poverty, on
about $2 a day, well below the U.S. definition.
First, we visited a family that had just buried their son. He died because they could not
afford to have him immunized. The father’s parting words to us were, “No way to
live, and no way to leave.” As we traveled across the country, we saw Soviet-era
factories sitting idle, broken and useless. We visited families where there were large,
empty rooms and then a room with five or six beds where the family slept together,
primarily to survive the bitter cold in wintertime.
Anna (pictured left) is particularly difficult to forget. As we walked through the streets
of her village, she stopped us and invited us into her home. Her sister Maria, who was
84, lived with her. It became obvious to us that Maria suffered from some sort of mental
illness and Anna was her guardian. Anna showed us the rope she used to tie the door
between the kitchen and the living room shut at night. In her delirious state, Maria had
tried to strangle her at night, so Anna slept on the porch, which also served as the
kitchen. As she talked, tears ran down Anna’s face, over her wrinkled skin.
Anna went to the closet to find documents to show me that her sister had fought against
the Germans in Russia. She operated an anti-aircraft gun. Anna did not understand how
they could fight for a country and then be forgotten. The first and only time Maria spoke,
she yelled, telling us that she was never afraid and that she was proud to fight; she was
one of the best shots in the military. Then she fell silent again.
Anna described how difficult it was to survive. Neighbors helped her with wood for heat
in the winter, but they were always hungry. She showed us the living room where Maria
slept. We had to enter carefully because there was human waste on the floor. I cannot
describe how I felt as we left. There are many questions I cannot answer. My urge is
always to help, but often the futility of doing so makes that impossible.

90. 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 87
ITALY, 2008
Every year thousands of African migrants attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to
reach Europe via Lampedusa Island, Italy; many do not survive. I asked a young woman
if she would tell me about the three-year journey she took before arriving on the island.
Originally from Eritrea, she was serving a compulsory term in the military when she was
refused personal leave time and forced to provide unpaid domestic services for her
superiors. She was coerced to cook, wash dishes and clean. When she began to speak
about her departure from Eritrea, she expressed concern that she could not properly
explain in Arabic what had happened. She felt she needed to express it in Tigrinya, her
local language. The UNHCR staff I was with were able to find her friend who spoke her
local language and English.
We resumed the conversation. She said, “They did not respect me as a woman.”
The translation was carefully repeated and clarified. She said being raped by her
superiors was a common occurrence. Finally, she decided to take the risk of running
away. Her journey to Lampedusa was not easy. She walked from Eritrea to Khartoum,
Sudan, over 1,000 kilometers through difficult terrain. She then worked for nine months
to earn money. Then she crossed the desert to Kufra, Libya, and was arrested when she
crossed the border. She spent two months in jail in Kufra. Eventually, she paid $200 to
get out of jail, only to be arrested again by the same officers two kilometers away from
the jail. She later paid $500 to be freed.
She was able to reach Tripoli, Libya. In Tripoli, she was put in prison for one year. In
prison, she was raped repeatedly. When she was released, she found people from her
country who helped her hide from the government. Libyan smugglers later hid them until
it was time to leave for the island. At this point, our interview ended abruptly as she broke
down and emotions turned to tears. She was unable to continue our conversation.

91. SHOWING UP 88
GUATEMALA, 2007
Mirna’s story is one of economic suffering, modern slavery, sexual exploitation and HIV/
AIDS. Mirna left her home in El Salvador when she was 16 years old. A woman promised
her a job at a restaurant, but instead she sold her to a house of prostitution in
Guatemala for $400. Mirna tried to work off the debt, but the continuing charges for
her room and food made it impossible. Then a man helped her escape, and she began
working in a bar. She was 25 at the time.
Mirna met a woman who offered her housing in exchange for performing daily chores.
After moving in with the woman, Mirna fell ill. She was first hospitalized in Malacatan, but
the doctor was not sure of the diagnosis. She was then treated at Coatepeque where
they determined she had tuberculosis. When she was in the hospital, she was tested for
HIV and was found to be positive.
Mirna lost 12 pounds when she first arrived at a hospice center, but she had gained
back three at the time of our visit. She received two blood transfusions and had
numerous physical and emotional challenges. In spite of all of this, she spoke of leaving
the hospice and finding work. Her enduring optimism, despite all she had been through,
was remarkable.
BOSNIA, 1999
I was sitting in a room in Mostar talking to a woman who literally ran for her life with
her child in her arms as her brother and husband were killed. After fleeing across a
bridge, she stepped on a land mine. The next thing she remembered was waking up
in a hospital. Her immediate question was if her son was alive, and she learned that
he was fine. She had absorbed the impact of the explosion, and he had been thrown
clear. Then she began to struggle with her words, and tears ran down her face. She
slowly described how the physical pain was not her greatest agony, even though she
had lost her entire leg up to her hip. The very first time she had been reunited with her
son, he would not go to her; he was scared because her leg was missing. After she was
released from the hospital, she moved to an old building with limited access. She lived
on the fourth floor, and not long after she moved into the building, the elevator stopped
working. I thought of the four flights of concrete steps we had climbed to talk to her, and
I realized she was in an impossible situation.
Bosnia gave me a new understanding of the human condition and the wreckage conflict
leaves behind. The photo above was taken in a rehabilitation center with a man who
had also lost a limb in the war. I remember every time my shutter released on my
camera, it sounded like a cannon going off in the silence. It was one of the most
uncomfortable series of photographs I have ever taken.

92. ANGOLA, 2006
In 2006, on a trip to Angola, I visited the drought-affected area of Ukuma. Towards the
end of a six-hour drive to the village of Luvo, we passed multiple graveyards, all recently
dug. As we neared a graveyard where several men were digging a new grave, I asked
if we could stop and talk to them. The driver told me to wait in the vehicle while he
approached the men to ask their permission. Shortly after, he motioned for me to come
over. It was only then I realized I wasn’t sure how to ask the men about such a difficult
subject.
As I approached, I noticed that most of the graves were not more than three or four
feet long, so the first question I asked was why so many children were dying. The men
explained that due to the drought, malnutrition was widespread, many people were
starving and there was an outbreak of malaria. After visiting for about 10 minutes, we
left the men and headed towards the village.
When we arrived at Luvo, we pulled into an area with grass huts surrounded by trees.
As I exited the vehicle, the first thing I noticed was a line of about 20 women holding
their children, many of whom appeared to be very young. I looked at the ones who were
closest to me and remember thinking, there is no way that any of these children are
going to live.
I then felt a push on my right side and as I turned, a woman started to shove a tiny
baby into my chest. She was very upset, and her voice gradually got louder and more
frantic. The interpreter told me she was demanding that I take her child. She was almost
yelling at this point, telling me she had no more milk and there was no food–her baby’s
only chance of survival was with me. Several women began to try to calm her down as
I awkwardly explained that I could not take her child.
Later, I walked through the village and found this mother trying to provide a drink to her
child. I remember her expression vividly: it was as if we were not even present. Someone
in our group asked her a question, but the faraway look in her eyes never changed, and
the interpreter chose not to translate her reply. I spent weeks after I left Angola trying to
develop a plan to assist that village, only to learn how impossible it was to coordinate the
difference pieces required to help. It was not as simple as just getting food to this village.
Feeding starving people is a medical intervention. We needed, but could not secure,
a doctor to assess every person and determine individualized feeding plans. Then we
needed the WFP to have adequate supplies of commodities within a timely distance of
the village–which they didn’t have. Seeds for planting crops were ruled out because they
would just cook and eat them. It was the stark reality that many starving people are at
the mercy of logistics and supply chains. I had visited just one village, and there were
countless others nearby with the same needs. I had our Foundation’s resources and the
will and desire to help but could not. It’s a day and a lesson I will never forget.

93. THE HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION DOES NOT ACCEPT UNSOLICITED REQUESTS.
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs by Howard G. Buffett.
© Howard G. Buffett Foundation, 2023. All rights reserved.
Printed on 30% post-consumer
recycled paper with agri-based ink.